Affairs of the Heart
by Mat49324
Summary: Joint fic #4 w/ The Blue Time Ranger (formerly S.P.D. Gold Ranger). What happens when two female villains combine their forces on heartbreak feelings to turn a world of love and respect to violence and hate? Thrown back to when the spies were students at Bev High. Ch.3: "Mechanical Dance" (COMPLETE) Credit jettmanas for the cover image.
1. Door Into Summer

**2:00 PM – Somewhere in the Pacific Ocean (Geraldine's Lair)**

"I'd say it's about time we took another crack at knocking those damned spies down to size," Geraldine Husk proclaimed quite dramatically to her accomplice who was standing right next to her.

"Oh, I was thinking the same thing," Natalie Valentine laughed. "It's been far too long since we've had a crack at those wretches."

"From the info I was able to collect, they've added quite a few members to their group since the last time," Geraldine noted, gesturing to her computer screen. "Who do you think we should target first?"

Natalie perused the names of the newest spies, hoping to find something she could...

...wait.

"Hey, this says that some of them are romantically involved," Natalie quipped. "That gives me a bit of a wicked idea."

"Okay, let's hear it," Geraldine cackled. "I'm already giddy with anticipation for our revenge."

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(Don't just sit there and waste your precious time. When you want to do something, do it right away. Do it when you can. It's the only way to live a life without regrets.)

**Mat49324** and **The Blue Time Ranger** are proud to present:

_Totally Spies!: __Affairs of the Heart_

**Story Rated:** T for Teen

**Story Created:** September 16th, 2019

**Story Summary:** My fourth joint project with Mat49324 that picks up right from where _Disillusioned Memories_ left off. Mathew (or "Mat") is a very big fan of Supercross, but when the final race from Las Vegas doesn't go the way he wanted, it gets him pretty upset. Problem? This attracts the attention of Geraldine Husk and Natalie Valentine, having escaped from prison with every intent of taking revenge. Mistaking Mat's sadness for heartbreak, they create a device that feeds on people's heartbreak for their latest scheme. Can the spies take down Geraldine and Natalie before the case ends in a broken heart or two, or possibly more?

**Author's Note from The Blue Time Ranger:** All right, after _Disillusioned Memories_ FINALLY finished up, we're off on another adventure, this one a more normal caper after the insanity of the last story. And I promise you now, this one WILL NOT take nine years to get done.

**Extra note from Mat49324**: Just so everybody knows, in "Disillusioned Memories", I did use the year 2006 - when all the spies were at Bev High. Once again, this story will use the year 2006. I've also updated my "Mathew" character as an 18-year-old regular character (no longer an outright self-insert) since I've gotten much older since "Totally Spies" was on the TV.

**And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** Mat49324 and I do not own anything related to Totally Spies or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Marathon Media Group, Image Entertainment Corporation, Vincent Chalvon-Demersay, and David Michel. The only things of this story we DO own are any characters created by us truly for the story (in this case, Nick, Haruka, Bridget, May, Nozomi, Dawn, and Melissa on my side, and Mathew on his side). Any characters or things we don't own, we are just borrowing with no intent of copyright infringement, only for the entertainment of our readers. Besides, if we _did_ own Totally Spies, which we _don't_, why would we be writing fiction on a fan site?

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Episode 1: Door Into Summer

**5:58 PM – Spies' Beach House**

**("Door Into Summer" by Junko Shiratsu & Mariko Nanba plays)**

(Sam's P.O.V.)

It was a pretty warm Saturday afternoon with summer just around the corner. Alex, Clover, and I were outside in our swimwear, but Mat was inside preparing for his Supercross race on TV (not that I blame him – he had been excited about it since the end of last weekend). Alex had brought out a few pool-cleaning supplies for us after a mishap from Clover earlier this afternoon when we were planning to wrap up the day tanning.

"I can't believe this," Alex said. "Summer's around the corner, and part of our pool's gotta be cleaned."

"Well we can thank Clover for that," I said.

"I said I was sorry, Sammy," said Clover, then looking at Alex.

"Don't look at me, Clover," Alex retorted. "I'm not the one who sneezed, lost her footing, and dropped her smoothie in the pool... especially because I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Well at least we can say this isn't too bad," I said, trying not to be too hard on Clover. "Clover didn't make a BIG mess so to speak."

It was just a small yellow blob in the pool, but it was expanding little by little.

"Is it too late to get Mat out here?" asked Clover.

"Clover, Mat told us he's clearing his desk for the Las Vegas Supercross finale," I replied. "In fact, it's probably starting now."

I looked inside through the window to see Mat sitting on the couch and watching with a stoic look on his face.

"Sam, Mat offered to help, but you're the one who told him 'No, it's not a big mess Clover made,' you know," Clover reminded.

"And the others should be back soon with our dinners after their time out together," Alex added.

"Want a little help?" went Haruka's voice, as she came out in her own swimsuit.

"Always could use an extra hand," said Alex. "Thanks, Haruka."

We then got to cleaning up the section of the pool.

"Did you check on Mat?" I asked her.

"He's in a good mood," Haruka said. "But after we watched the Daytona race with him, I understood how much he values his Supercross – especially after how emotional he got."

"I did, too," I said. "I admire that he rides, too; he even said, 'When you've been around this sport as long as I have, you learn a few things' – he's right, and I could tell he wasn't just talking about his Supercross."

"True," said Alex. "He knows his stuff, and we know our stuff."

"Gotta give him one thing: he's got good role models in his corner," Haruka commented. "He told me he's cheering for that Chad Reed guy and he's tied with Ricky Carmichael in the points."

"Yeah, he told me he cheers for him," I said. "Hard to believe Mat told me if it wasn't for Chad Reed, he was thinking of leaving something he loved at one point, though it's never an easy decision."

"Alex almost left WOOHP though when we first met Britney," Clover pointed out.

"Don't remind me," said Alex as she rolled her eyes.

Before we knew it, we had finished getting that section of our pool clean.

"Well, I think that should do it," I said.

"You can't even tell if it was ever dirty," Haruka said in agreement.

"I don't think we'll have to drain it, huh?" Alex asked, bending down to check the water up close.

"I doubt it," I deduced as Alex stood up. "We got to the blob rather quickly. It wasn't a _BIG_ mess, per se."

"Check it up close, Alex," Clover then said before she elbowed Alex in the back, which caused her to splash in.

Haruka and I snickered at Clover's actions; we couldn't help it. Alex resurfaced, a little ticked at Clover.

"Oh, you're dead, Clover!" Alex exclaimed.

"Clover..." I said through my chuckles. "You really think that was the best way?"

Haruka was snickering too much to say anything.

"Lighten up, Sammy," said Clover as Alex got out all wet. "When you're blessed with a pool, you better use it."

We heard the back door open and saw Nick and Bridget come out.

"Hey, we heard there was pool things happening back here," Bridget giggled.

"Oh, hey, Nick!" Alex proclaimed.

"You okay there, Alex?" Nick asked.

"_Clover_ just pushed me into the pool," Alex groaned.

"Oh, definitely," Clover laughed, tiptoeing over to Haruka despite everyone else's protests before putting her hands on Haruka's back and _shoving_, sending her flying into the pool, due to being too distracted by her snickering.

Haruka quickly surfaced, though, sputtering as she came up for air. "C-_Clover_!" Haruka shouted. "Was that _really_ necessary?!"

"Like I said, when you've got a pool like this, you gotta use it," Clover teased before actually pushing _me_ into the pool while I was distracted.

"You guys are too easy sometimes!" Clover giggled.

When I came back up for air, I was ready to tell Clover off, only to see her body glowing yellow. I looked over and saw Nick holding his right hand out.

"Gotta plan for _everything_, Clover," Nick laughed before thrusting his right hand forward, psychically pushing Clover into the pool herself. "Otherwise, you never know when karma's gonna _bite back_."

"Why, you little..." Clover shot back before swinging her hand and sending a small wave at all of us.

"Oh, it is _on_, Clover! No one dunks _my _boyfriend but _me_!" Alex exclaimed as she and Nick dove into the pool after Clover.

(Mathew's P.O.V.)

Inside, I was enjoying myself with a glass of soda and my dinner that Nick and Bridget got for us all. I did remember to say thanks to them. I didn't care that I was by myself. I was REALLY excited. Ricky Carmichael and Chad Reed were TIED going into Vegas after Chad Reed won the Dallas race 2 rounds ago while Carmichael and Stewart crashed and finished 6th (Carmichael) and 2nd (Stewart) respectively.

"Going OK?" I heard Nick ask from the back door.

"So far," I answered. "The main hasn't begun, but Chad Reed's in the main with a 2nd in his heat race. That's the one part I never doubt about him unless he crashes out hard enough. You guys wanna watch with?"

"Maybe Sam," said Nick. "But Clover's not done with pool pranks."

I laughed quite a bit at that. Luckily for me, the main had not started. I managed to eat my dinner wholly before the Supercross and Supercross Lites mains got under way. I looked outside to see that the chances of me having a companion looked pretty slim.

"Ah, no big deal," I said to myself.

Just when the Lites main (or the East/West Shootout) concluded was when I looked and saw Clover leading everyone inside. Andrew Short on the #29 Honda won it all for the second time – the first coming in 2003.

"Oh, you're in time for the main for the premier Supercross class," I said to them.

"Sorry, Mat," said Alex. "We kinda worked up an appetite."

"You missed out, though," said Sam.

"I'm sure," I said. "But I'm not missing the Vegas Supercross finale for ANYTHING after the season I've seen. Reed and Carmichael TIED at 316… and James Stewart 5 points behind them both with 311. Last week in the mud at Seattle, it was Stewart, Reed, and Carmichael in THAT order!"

"Like I said earlier, you're pretty excited," said Haruka.

"I am," I said. "Last year (2005), the title chase for Chad Reed was just about done after he finished 16th at Anaheim 1 and Carmichael 3rd. At that point, I just wanted Chad to get wins as a consolation and he did – 5 times. He's only got 2 this year – St. Louis and Dallas, but he hasn't finished worse than 5th – San Francisco in the mud, and Orlando."

"That IS a big difference," said Nick.

"Yes, it is," I said. "If Carmichael wins the title, I'll live with it, but I _REALLY_ want the titlist to be Chad Reed – if you know me by now."

"Are you gonna be mad if we don't sit with you?" Sam asked.

"Nah, I don't think it'd make any difference," I said.

They went away to get changed and eat. That was when I heard pit reporter Greg White say that the 2006 Vegas Supercross was "Ricky Carmichael's LAST race as a full-time Supercross athlete..."

I took a deep breath as the final race was only seconds away from starting.

"Come on, Reed," I said quietly.

When the gate dropped, it was James Stewart who pulled the holeshot, Ricky Carmichael in 2nd.

"Okay, fine, whatever," I said quietly, not caring that James Stewart might win.

All I wanted was for Reed to catch and pass Carmichael because that was all that matters; Reed was running in 5th. It was Stewart, Carmichael, Kevin Windham #14, Ivan Tedesco #9, and Chad Reed the top 5. Right away, Chad Reed got around Ivan Tedesco for 4th.

"YES!" I cheered in my best indoor voice. "Go, go, _GO!_"

It wasn't until about 2 laps later that Reed caught up to Kevin Windham, and Windham, who was not in title contention due to injury, did the courteous thing and let Reed pass him for 3rd. I saw Chad give a point to Kevin as if to say "Thank you." It was then and there I heard booth announcers Ralph Sheheen first, then TV analyst Denny Stephenson.

Ralph: Here comes Chad!

Denny: Reed kinda signals to Kevin saying 'Thank you – I got a championship to win'..."

"Okay, okay," I said at seeing Chad now in 3rd.

Only 1 man stood in the way between Chad Reed and the 2006 AMA Supercross Championship: Ricky Carmichael. It was then and there I clenched my fists and watched Chad Reed try his hardest, but deep down, I knew the start killed him.

_Come on, Chad, please!_ I thought. I then listened in on Ralph Sheheen.

Ralph: Stewart's at a 1:04.5, Carmichael's at a 1:06, and Reed has mustered up a 1:05.2...

I continued to watch in the hopes of Chad Reed winning the title, but he was closing in on Carmichael, but to me, it just wasn't as much as I hoped. If the race ended now, Carmichael was the champion by 2 points over Stewart and Reed, who would be tied. I had then heard Reed turned in a 1:04.4, which was the fastest lap of the race, according to Denny Stephenson.

On lap 8, I heard Ralph discuss Ricky Carmichael's plans for 2007 and beyond, then Denny Stephenson with an update on Chad Reed.

Ralph: Ricky signed with Team Suzuki through 2009; he's gonna run the full outdoor tour in 2006... begin that part-time schedule in 2007...

Denny: At the end of 7 laps, Reed has made up _another_ half-second - he is slowly chipping away...

"Has he caught him?" I heard Haruka ask.

"Reed? Not yet," I said. "But time's running out."

There was no change since Reed moved into 3rd. With 5 laps to go, I heard a scoop from fellow pit reporter Krista Voda about Chad Reed doing everything he could to catch Carmichael. It turned out to not be good news.

Krista: He answered it on that lap: he got a little crazy on the triple-quad going outside Monster Alley, went into the tuffblocks – he was able to save it, but his mechanic Alan Olson shook his head. He is doing everything he can to pick up _every tenth_ he can...

Denny Stephenson went on with saying the one disappointing thing was that Reed and Carmichael were running identical lap times.

"If we could just push them closer, they would be throwing elbows with each other..."

All I could do was nod in agreement because _my_ hopes of Chad Reed winning the title were beginning to fade. There was no change for those last 5 laps, but with 2 to go, I felt my remaining hope was gone. I just sat down on the couch totally bummed and in defeat.

At the checkers, Stewart claimed his 8th win of the 2006 Supercross season, and the 2006 World Supercross GP title; Carmichael crossed the FINISH line in 2nd, and that gave Ricky the AMA Supercross title; Chad Reed finished 3rd and got a big handful of _nothing_. With that, Carmichael and Stewart even ran up to the closest triple jump and bowed to the crowd in Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, NV.

"Congrats, Ricky," I quietly said. It was Supercross title #5 for him.

I gave a brief smile, happy that it was Carmichael, NOT James Stewart as the AMA Supercross champion. In my mind, I could just hear myself say, "Everyone gets a gift – Short gets a gift in the Lites class, Carmichael gets a gift there, James gets a gift; Chad Reed gets... _nothing_!"

I then listened through Carmichael's 2nd place interview and he had said, "Chad hadn't beat me straight up until last week, and I wasn't gonna let it happen now..."

Chad Reed had a bummed smile on his face, but I hung my head as I listened through his whole 3rd place interview... until Ralph Sheheen gave extra news.

Ralph: His fastest lap, Denny, only 2 tenths of a second _slower_ than James Stewart.

It was enough to make me hang my head and cover my face for a bit as the broadcast (and the season) came to a close.

"Mat? You okay?" I heard Sam ask me as I felt her hand on my back.

I glanced at her through some watery eyes as she sat next to me.

"I don't like that look on your face..." she said.

I was too numb to say anything and just pointed at the TV. The final points standings were on the screen. It showed Carmichael as the champion by 2 points over James Stewart and Chad Reed – 338 (Carmichael) to 336 (Stewart and Reed).

"Oh, no..." Sam replied. "I had a feeling that was why you were so sad. Mat, I'm so sorry..."

(Sam's P.O.V.)

It killed me to see Mat as crushed as he was. I still remembered Mat say he's a fan of Chad Reed. I saw the emotional pain in his eyes and threw my arms around Mat to show I was here for him.

Mat sighed, "Sam, you know I found my savior back in '03 and now this? I know things don't always work out, but... how do you live things like this down?"

"I know it's hard, Mat, but it's not the end of the world," I replied, hoping I could say something to cheer him up. "You're strong, I know you are."

"It's just..." Mat sighed again. "Have you ever loved something so much that losing it hurts so badly?"

Mat sighed yet again as he went away to have a shower. I then saw him come out when he was done.

"I'll be okay," Mat said to me, still with a pained smile on his face.

During the overnight hours, I awoke to use the bathroom. Just as I finished, I could hear the TV on and I checked it out. Mat was still awake, and it was nearly 2:30 AM, and he was still feeling crushed.

"Mat?" I asked.

"If you came to tell me how late it is, save it," said Mat, not making eye contact at all.

I could see the "Lamson 6" on the back of his shirt; he usually wore that to bed. I still came to him and sat next to him. He then looked at me. It was a tiny bit refreshing to see Mat wasn't so teary-eyed, but he still sighed over what happened tonight.

"Mat, I'm sorry your Supercross series didn't turn out how you really wanted it to," I said. "But really, it's killing me how sad you are."

"I'll live, Sammy," said Mat and he grabbed my hand. "I didn't care if Stewart won the race – which I figured he'd do – but if Carmichael won the title, I told myself I'd live if he did."

I saw a hint of a grin on his face, but I could still see how bummed he was that the titlist wasn't Chad Reed.

"Thanks, Sam," said Mat. "I'm still hurting tonight, but I'll..."

"Shh," I shushed him. "I'm not going anywhere; I'll keep you company tonight. Did you want to come to my room tonight?"

I was relieved to see Mat nodding to me.

When Sunday came around, I met up with the rest of the others and told them what happened while Mat still got some extra sleep in.

"Is he okay?" asked Haruka.

I reached in and got my OJ.

"He's still a mess," I sighed. "Though I think I cheered him up a bit after last night."

(Written by **The Blue Time Ranger**)

"I wish I knew something better to say, honestly," Sam stated.

"He _really_ loves Chad Reed, doesn't he?" Melissa asked.

"It's kind of like what I felt when Terrell Owens went down after that bullcrap horse-collar tackle," Dawn quipped. "You have a favorite player or racer or whoever, so when this stuff happens to them, it really gets to ya."

"I've never really been much of a sports girl, but I want to support Mat in what he loves," Sam proclaimed. "I just hope he's going to be okay..."

"I'm sure he'll snap out of his funk soon," Bridget stated. "Remember, he's got _you_ as a girlfriend."

Sam couldn't help but giggle at Bridget's statement.

"You think we should go see how he's doing?" Melissa asked. "I mean, he _is _sleeping pretty late for a Sunday."

"I figured I'd let him get a little extra sleep, give him time to absorb all of... WHOA!"

That last shout was brought on by convenient trap doors opening up below everyone present and leaving them to fall in through large metal tubes.

"Jerry has the _worst timing ever_!" Melissa shouted.

"You get used to it after a while of working at WOOHP," Sam quipped.

When the wild ride ended, all twelve spies were splayed out on the ground, which thankfully held a soft landing pad, as was custom. Sam couldn't help but chuckle when she saw Nick and Alex within a small psychic bubble that he quickly dismissed.

"You can't outfox me now, Jerry," Nick teased. "Psychic powers, remember?"

"Can't blame a man for trying," Jerry quipped.

"Okay, down to business, then," Sam proclaimed. "What nutball do we have to take down today, Jerry?"

Jerry wasted no time in gesturing to the viewscreen behind him, which flickered twice to reveal a myriad of different video feeds of couples arguing with each other in various ways, some of them _very_ heated.

"All around the country, couples have been getting belligerent with each other for seemingly no reason," Jerry explained. "We're not quite sure why it's happening, but we _are_ sure that this phenomenon isn't natural."

"Yeah, I mean look at _those_ two," Haruka proclaimed. "Yeesh, it looks like they're about two seconds away from busting out the karate moves."

"We've already gathered all the gadgets you'll need for this mission, so all that remains is the mission itself," Jerry stated. "Your job today is to find whoever is responsible for this wave of aggression and put a stop to them. Your first target is, in fact, right here in Beverly Hills."

"Aw, why couldn't it have been Paris?" Clover sighed dramatically.

"Clover, seriously, are you _still_ crushing on that baguette guy?" Nozomi groaned. "I thought you'd have been over him by now!"

"Paris has a _lot_ of hunks, so..." Clover giggled.

"Oy vey," May sighed.

As the spies went to retrieve their gadgets and set out, Sam once again glanced at Mat, who, despite his focused expression, still seemed really sad.

_I hope he's going to be all right,_ Sam thought.

Jerry's information led the spies to an area outside The Groove, where one of the couples from the video feeds were _still_ arguing.

"Ooookay, this is getting out of hand," Alex stated. "I'm gonna see if I can get something out of this."

Alex took a step towards the bickering couple, only for the boy to storm off in a serious huff, leaving the woman to cry all by her lonesome.

Weighing her options at the moment, Alex slowly moved towards the young purple-haired woman, raising her hand. "Um... is everything all right?" Alex asked, gently touching the woman's shoulder.

She _definitely_ didn't expect the woman to lash out with a spinning sidewinder kick so unexpected, Alex couldn't get her guard up in time and was knocked backwards, falling on her rump in the process.

"Ow..." Alex quipped.

"How DARE you try to play on my feelings _after my boyfriend just dumped me?!_" the woman exclaimed, lining up to stomp on Alex, only to be blasted back by a quick psychic burst from Nick.

"You've got _some nerve_ going wild on _my girlfriend_ like that, lady," Nick proclaimed. "You have _five seconds_ to start explaining yourself before I return the favor."

"YOU DAMN BOYS ARE ALL THE SAME!" the woman screamed. "Stringing girls along until you've had your fill, then you _casually and cruelly_ break their hearts and move on to the next _special_ catch!"

"Um, lady, in case you haven't heard, Nick's a _wonderful_ boyfriend!" Alex shot back after she picked herself up. "The only thing we've _ever_ fought over are pizza toppings!"

"YOU'RE JUST A BUNCH OF FILTHY LIARS!" the woman screamed back.

"That settles it," Britney proclaimed. "There's _definitely_ something wrong here. It's like she won't listen to reason."

"Can you girls do some scanning while I hold her off?" Nick asked, his psychic aura flaring to life around him. "Because I have a feeling this might get ugly."

(From **Mat49324**)

(Sam's P.O.V.)

"Good thinking, Nick," I said.

Haruka, Clover, and I used the Cyberjacker Sunglasses to scan the woman going after Nick. To say it was hard to get a reading on the woman was an understatement.

"Ugh, can't that sucker stay still?!" Clover complained.

"I agree," said Haruka. "But I think I see something..."

"Is it on her right arm?" I asked.

"Exactly," said Haruka.

"I just saw it, too. Maybe I might be able to get a good shot of it to send to Jerry," I said, tinkering with my X-Powder.

I had looked up for a vantage point just to see Nick just dodge a punch from the woman Alex approached.

"Maybe I can buy you some time, Sammy," said Alex as she ran out to try to assist Nick.

"STOP MOCKING ME!" the woman shouted.

"Okay, she's lost it," Alex groaned. "Wanna take her down a peg?"

"By all means," Nick quipped.

The woman lunged for Nick and Alex, only for Nick to lash out with a leg sweep and trip her up, followed by Alex going into a roll to pin her down.

This, sadly, didn't last long, as the woman actually _leaped_ upwards to shove Alex off of her, then lunged forward to pin Alex down with her hands.

"You people are all the same! No respect at all for your supposed _loved ones!_" the woman screamed.

"Um, crazy lady, who's the one pinning me in a chokehold?!" Alex exclaimed.

"You know _nothing_ of my pain, you _wretch_!" the woman growled, unbridled fury blazing in her eyes.

"Okay, _screw this_," Nick sighed, thrusting his right hand out and enveloping the woman in his psychic grip, pulling her away so Alex could stand up and so I could analyze the strange anomaly on the woman's arm.

While he was keeping the woman in place, Nick noticed something out of place.

"Now's a good time, Sam," said Britney.

"Gotcha, Brit," I said and made my move.

I successfully got a snapshot of the woman's arm with my X-Powder. It turned out to be a bandage.

"A bandage?" Clover asked, not sounding surprised. "That doesn't say much... unless she cut her arm there or something."

"Cut her arm on what, exactly?" Mat asked.

That sent Clover into silence and fumbling for an answer. I looked over at Britney and she seemed to be assisting me, too.

"That's odd," She said. "It's no body wound or anything. It looks like a needle mark at least."

"That IS odd," I said. "She looks healthy to me, and I don't think that needle mark is from a doctor."

"I don't know about you girls," said May. "But something tells me a WOOHP baddie is responsible."

"At least one is anyway," said Clover. "But who?"

We then looked up and saw the woman had retreated from Alex and Nick.

"Hey, where'd she go?" Nozomi asked.

Seconds later was when I looked at Mat to see a different woman – a blonde similar to Clover – fall into his back.

"Whoa... geez!" Mat exclaimed when he felt the impact from the second woman's head.

This caused everyone else to look, but the blonde had a bruise on her face. Just like with the other woman that had battled with Nick and Alex, this current woman was going after Mat verbally after he had tried to help her up.

"What are you talking about?! _You_ backed into _me_!" Mat screamed back at her.

"Lady, I caught that out of the corner of my eye," Britney retorted. "Mat was minding his own business, and you whaled into him."

"You wasting time with those scrubs?!" a different male voice asked as another guy came to the lady who rammed into Mat.

"Oh, it is _o-on_! You're gonna pay for calling my shopping cheap!" That same lady shouted, going back after him. "I'll deal with _you_ later!" She glared at Mat and dashed off.

We shook our heads in disbelief; we knew Mat was totally innocent. We were relieved when Alex and Nick were waving us over from the same place where the purple-haired lady fought her and Nick.

"That wasn't good," Nick said about the blonde lady who backed into Mat.

"Not a bit," said May in agreement. "And Mat had to be the one who took the verbal abuse."

"Yeah, just what I needed," said Mat in sarcasm.

"Well, one thing's for sure," I said. "The Groove is turning into a warzone instead of a peaceful mall."

"Totally," said Clover. "Everybody's getting worked up over tiny things."

"Yeah," Alex said in agreement. "A boyfriend breaking up is a legit reason to be angry – I'll give that woman that..."

"And the woman who backed into poor Mat was pissed because her boyfriend or husband called her shopping 'cheap'," Nozomi added.

"The only thing I'm getting out of this is people's sensitivity levels are at all-time lows," said Mat. "One of _my_ biggest peeves."

"Lucky thing Mat's circumstances are on his own volition and not because of Sam," Haruka added.

"That's a couple of understatements there," said Nick. "But that lady who tried to turn Alex into a football target did leave us a clue."

"She did?" Melissa asked. "I was pretty sure she was preoccupied with yelling her lungs out at Alex."

"I really only noticed it when I froze her with my psycho-grab," Nick answered. "But her chest area, more specifically the part around her heart, had a strange liquid smeared on it."

"Around her heart? Does that mean someone's messing with their hearts?" Dawn gasped.

"I'd say this definitely warrants a notice to Jerry," said Alex.

Like clockwork, my X-Powder rang, and it was Jerry.

"Spies, how's the mission going?" Jerry asked.

"Too creepy, Jer," said Clover. "The Groove is becoming a warzone like Sam said earlier."

"But while we have you, Nick found something to analyze," I said and showed Nick's clue to Jerry.

"Hmmm... this appears to be some sort of serum that's amplifying aggression," Jerry stated. "It appears to have also been injected through that needle mark that Sam discovered."

"Wonderful, _more_ serums," Nick groaned. "I've had enough of _that_ crapola to last me the rest of my life after what Professor Genesis put us through."

"Is that what is explaining the mood and why everybody's out for blood?" asked Mat.

"It might appear that way," said Jerry. "We'll know for sure a little later. Take a breather for now, spies."

With that, Jerry's visage disappeared and I closed my X-Powder.

"Anyone for some food?" asked Alex.

"I'd definitely go somewhere else to be on the safe side," said Melissa.

"That's what I was going to say," said May.

"I planned on that," said Alex. "Either way, if I don't get food, I won't be a happy camper myself."

We all grinned in agreement, but I looked back at Mat as we left. He still looked pretty glum.

"You're still down about last night, are you?" I asked.

"Uh-huh," Mat replied. "I'm trying to forget it, but this mission isn't really helping all that much."

"You'll find a way," I said to Mat. "You've got me, for starters..."

"Yeah, I know," said Mat, trying to make a smile. "But I just can't help but feel like my hopes got up in a way with Reed making up Carmichael's 12-point lead with the win at Dallas to Carmichael's 6th, and tying Carmichael with a 2nd to Ricky's 3rd at Seattle... only to fall short of a Supercross title by just three measly seconds."

Mat drooped his head again.

"These things happen," I said. "I'm sure Chad Reed gave it his best after all."

Mat could only nod in agreement. I could only comfort him as we caught up with everyone else. Honestly, I hadn't seen Mat so sad before when he was usually a pretty happy, sweet, and analytically smart person at times.

We all got some food and sat together. I was glad to see Mat still be able to eat his meal, and the others seemed to be happy Mat was able to eat despite his "heartbreak" he was going through. Nobody even brought up Mat's circumstances at all – likely to Mat's delight.

"Well, do you think we should try to head somewhere else or play things safe and go back to our beach house?" Clover asked.

That answer was immediately filled when my X-Powder rang again.

"That'll have to wait, Clover," I said, knowing that was Jerry. "Sam here..."

"Good day, Sam," said Jerry. "There's been an update."

"Well, let's hear it, Jer," I said.

"After further analysis of the serum that Nick discovered, it appears to be amplifying a certain emotion," Jerry explained. "Specifically, it appears to be most effective on people who are suffering some sort of heartbreak."

There was one key word Jerry said that got my senses tingling at whom one of the WOOHP baddies might be: "Heartbreak". I looked at Mat and he still had a long face, which got me thinking...

"Heartbreak... of course!" I exclaimed to the group.

"Huh?" Clover asked.

"Sammy, what's up?" Alex added. "About Mat's Supercross?"

"No, no, no," I said. "May's right, this is the work of a WOOHP baddie... 'heartbreak' gave it away – it's Natalie Valentine!"

"The trashy slut who tried to land a man with her own perfume?" Clover asked.

"Couldn't have happened to a nicer sow like her," said Mat.

Haruka and Nick cringed at hearing Clover being right on the money while Alex got jitters at hearing Natalie Valentine's name.

(Written by **The Blue Time Ranger**)

"Oh, not that crazy Possession chick again," Alex groaned. "I was honestly hoping that she _wouldn't_ be one of the ones who'd think about revenge."

"You girls must have worked up quite a rogues' gallery, huh?" Melissa teased.

"It comes with working for W.O.O.H.P.," Clover laughed.

"Question is, what would Natalie hope to gain by making heartbroken people act so damn crazy?" Nick asked. "What's her endgame here?"

"Hopefully you'll be able to figure that out soon," Jerry responded. "We've just gotten word that another such incident seems to have broken out at Beverly Hills High School."

"Now the _school's _gone crazy, too?!" Bridget exclaimed. "Is nothing sacred anymore?!"

"And considering how many love-struck teenagers Beverly High has, that can't be _any_ sort of good," Alex proclaimed. "We'd better get over there before this gets ugly."

"Damn straight!" Britney exclaimed.

With that in mind, the group set out for Beverly Hills High School, hoping that they could contain this wave of heartbreak-induced violence before things got any worse than they already were.

Naturally, when the spies reached the school, it was complete and utter chaos. Girls were rounding on boys for the slightest perceived slights, while the boys were throwing back as good as they got. Some girls were even looking to physically assault the boy they were upset with.

"What is going on here?" Sam gasped. "What _is_ this madness?!"

"Looks like we've got some stopping to do," Nick responded. "Spies, let's move out!"

"YOU!"

Nick turned around and looked down the nearby hallway to see none other than Mandy herself advancing threateningly.

And her eyes were locked on _him_.

"Uh-oh, that doesn't look good," Alex quipped.

"How _dare_ you _scorn _me like you did?!" Mandy growled. "After how I treated you?!"

"Mandy, what the heck are you _talking about_?!" Nick exclaimed.

Nick was forced to dodge around Mandy's many flying kicks and right hooks until forcing himself to ensnare her in his psychic hold.

"Seriously, what's gotten into your head, Mandy?" Nick asked. "You, of all people, know that Alex is my girlfriend. What _gives_?!"

"Oh, sure, you just _dumped me_ for some other trashy little..." Mandy started, only to squeak in fright when Nick swung his hands to the right, making the helpless Mandy float to the side rather quickly.

"_Don't test me,"_ Nick growled.

"You think whatever Natalie's doing is messing with these people's memories, too?" May asked. "Because I _know_ Mandy's not in the right state of mind."

"To be honest, the only thing I can think of that even comes _close_ is when she actually thanked Nick for saving her from being squished by that giant robot," Britney stated, choosing her words carefully. She knew Nick was most likely still sensitive about what he'd had to do.

Nick glanced back at Mandy, and sure enough, there was a mark on her arm much like the other woman had.

"That clinches it," Nick stated.

"Clinches what?" Alex asked.

"I've got this sinking feeling that someone else is helping Natalie with this," Nick answered. "After all, it feels like some of these peoples' very _memories_ are being altered, since apparently Mandy thinks I'm some kind of psycho ex. And Jerry said that Natalie's 'potion' apparently is most effective on heartbroken people."

"Now the question becomes, who's Natalie working with?" Clover asked. "Because I'm seriously hoping we don't have another nutjob on our hands."

"I agree. Professor Genesis was _enough_," Nozomi quipped.

"Hold on, let me get a scan of Mandy," Sam stated. "Keep her there for a bit, Nick."

Nick did just that, holding Mandy in his psychic grip so Sam could get close and use her X-Powder to scan Mandy's brainwaves and send them to Jerry for analysis.

"Hopefully we can get some answers," Sam noted. "Let's hightail it to W.O.O.H.P. before this gets any uglier."

However, the instant Nick released his psychic hold, Mandy rushed him, clawing at his shirt and refusing to let go.

"M-Mandy, what the _hell_?!" Nick shouted.

"Get back here so I can make you pay for what you did to me!" Mandy shrieked, resisting all of Nick's attempts to shake her off. "_No one_ dumps me and gets away with it!"

"Oh, to hell with this," Nick sighed, his psychic aura bursting to life and pushing Mandy away from him so he could dash behind her and knock her unconscious with a quick chop to the back of her neck.

"Sorry I had to do that," Nick quipped as he moved Mandy over to a table that was out of the way and placing her in the chair so she'd be comfortable. "All right, spies, let's get to Jerry on the double... _now_."

"Bridget, Nozomi and I are gonna stay here so we can hopefully contain this chaos," Haruka stated. "You guys and girls get going!"

"Roger that!" Alex proclaimed.

(From **Mat49324**)

The said spies moved on out – destination W.O.O.H.P.

**1:58 PM – WOOHP Headquarters**

"We got a second clue, Jer," said Sam as she handed her X-Powder to Jerry. "It's a scan of Mandy's brainwaves."

"Let's see..." said Jerry.

He tinkered with his computer to get a reading on Sam's scan of Mandy's brainwaves.

"We got a little lucky in a way after Mandy did a 180 on Nick," Mat explained. "Glad you held your own, bro."

He and Nick gave a fist bump.

"I gotta say Mandy isn't the nicest one at Bev High," stated Clover. "But what she did to Nick was totally unappreciative."

"I'll second that," said Alex.

"Should we start calling her 'Biggest Bev High Bitch' now?" asked Mat, trying to stay focused.

"I admit, that has a nice ring to it," said Nick while they awaited Jerry's results.

It was then and there Jerry's monitor heard a ping.

"It seems like you were right, Nick," Jerry proclaimed. "Miss Mandy's brainwaves are very chaotic, almost as if something had altered her mind."

"Which would explain why she thinks we were exes," Nick quipped.

Just as Jerry finished out, a buzzer began to sound, which got the 9 current spies' attention.

"Jerry, what's going on now?" asked Sam.

"Oh my, this is not good," said Jerry.

"What could be worse than what we saw from Mandy?" Clover asked in a groan.

"It appears the W.O.O.H.P. Containment Facility is reporting that someone else has escaped from their cell block," said Jerry.

"Anything, Jerry?" asked Britney.

Jerry couldn't answer his question because Nozomi flashed on the screen.

"Jerry, we need more help!" Nozomi exclaimed.

She, Haruka, and Bridget were cornered by a group of blood-thirsty students from Bev High.

"We've been trying to keep them at bay," Bridget continued.

"There's too many of them, though," said Haruka.

The nine spies at W.O.O.H.P. then saw them jump over the group of students and try to make a break for the exit.

"Hurry, you guys!" Bridget exclaimed. "I don't know if we can keep this up for much longer."

It was then and there Nozomi's transmission was ended.

"Girls, I've just received notice," Jerry said to the nine present spies. "We've found out who else has escaped from the W.O.O.H.P. Containment Facility."

He showed his screen, and the photo of Geraldine Husk was up. The nine spies gasped.

"Geraldine!" Alex exclaimed.

"One of the rejects from W.O.O.H.P. that turned me against Sam and Alex!" Clover added.

"I gotta say, that's one pair of baddies I wouldn't have put together," said Mat.

"Totally," said Nick in agreement.

"Get going, spies," said Jerry. "And be careful!"

The nine of them took off, but Sam checked on Mat again.

"Mat, can you do this?" she asked.

"We'll see..." said Mat as he tried to remain focused.

His uncertainty made Sam worry even more.

"I believe you will find a way," said Sam, not trying to delve into those matters.

**2:37 PM – Beverly High School**

"Girls, we're back!" Nick exclaimed.

This attracted the crowd of mesmerized and blood-thirsty students, but they didn't put much of a fight up and retreated.

"Weird," said Sam. "They just retreated... like that."

"You three okay?" Dawn then asked Haruka, Bridget, and Nozomi.

(Written by **The Blue Time Ranger**)

"We probably would have been _toast_ if they hadn't scattered when they did," Bridget sighed. "I was seriously about two seconds from busting out Sonic Mode and _forcing_ them to clear out."

"What's going on?" Haruka asked. "Did Jerry figure something out?"

"Well, I was right about their memories being altered," Nick quipped. "And someone else escaped from W.O.O.H.P. while we were being debriefed. It's Geraldine Husk."

"Wait, wait, you mean that psycho chick who tried to turn Clover against us?!" Haruka exclaimed. "What's _she_ up to?!"

"Well, it seems like she's working with Natalie for whatever reason," Alex explained. "Wish I knew why..."

"Oh, that's easy."

All twelve spies spun around to see who else but Geraldine Husk and Natalie Valentine standing there, looking very smug about their recent escape.

"We're here to take our revenge on you accursed spies," Natalie laughed.

"Um, missy, in case you haven't noticed, we've got numbers on our side this time," Clover proclaimed.

"Like we'd be scared of your cheap intimidation tactics," Geraldine taunted.

"Oh, you should be," Nick shot back, letting his psychic aura burst to life around him. "Because _this_ is _definitely_ not cheap."

Geraldine and Natalie glanced at each other. After all, this hadn't been in the information they'd gleaned from the spies' records.

Before they could formulate a plan, Natalie looked back at the spies, Mat specifically, and noticed his slightly pained expression.

"Oh, what, did you have your heart _broken_, boy?" Natalie cackled.

"It's not what you think," Mat shot back.

"Don't lie to me, boy, I know that look anywhere," Natalie continued. "And I think you'd be perfect for what we have in store. Geraldine, now!"

Geraldine whipped out a small, futuristic-looking pistol and fired it before anyone else could react, a tiny needle flying out of it to embed itself in Mat's shoulder.

Before Mat could move to remove the offending protrusion, he suddenly felt very drowsy. Before he could reach out to Sam, he fell to the ground, completely unconscious.

"Mat!" Sam exclaimed.

"Oh, don't you _dare_," Nick growled, letting his psychic aura shimmer brighter.

However, Geraldine threw down a set of smoke bombs to cover their trail and move to snatch the unconscious Mat when the spies were unable to see.

By the time Nick released a short-range psychic pulse to clear the smoke away, Geraldine and Natalie had escaped with Mat.

"Did they... did they just pull a fast one on us?!" Nozomi shouted.

Sam, however, was too distraught to say much of anything. It didn't take much longer for the reality of what had just happened to sink in, and she burst into tears after only a few seconds.

Nick quickly moved to hug Sam, letting her cry into his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Sammy, we're going to get him back," Nick stated. "I can promise you that. After all..."

Nick looked out the nearby window, where he could see W.O.O.H.P. headquarters in the distance.

"...by kidnapping one of my friends, those two made this _personal_."

_To be continued..._

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On the next episode...

Clover: So, we've basically got two escaped super-villains out for revenge, and they wanna use Mat in their crazy scheme.

Nozomi: Wow, you girls really _are_ cursed sometimes.

Alex: Like we've said, it's the nature of the job.

Nick: Hey, Sammy, are you okay?

Sam: ...

Bridget: She's really upset, isn't she?

May: Well, of course she is! Those trash-bags stole her boyfriend, and at one of the worst possible times, too!

Melissa: Don't worry, Sam, we'll get him back.

Dawn: And give Nat and Geraldine some _lumps_ while we're at it!

Nick: Next time on _Totally Spies: Affairs of the Heart_, "This Horizon"!

May: Oh, hey, I get a new outfit next episode! That's pretty cool, innit?


	2. This Horizon

_Previously on Affairs of the Heart..._

"Oh, what, did you have your heart _broken_, boy?" Natalie cackled.

"It's not what you think," Mat shot back.

"Don't lie to me, boy, I know that look anywhere," Natalie continued. "And I think you'd be perfect for what we have in store. Geraldine, now!"

Geraldine whipped out a small, futuristic-looking pistol and fired it before anyone else could react, a tiny needle flying out of it to embed itself in Mat's shoulder.

Before Mat could move to remove the offending protrusion, he suddenly felt very drowsy. Before he could reach out to Sam, he fell to the ground, completely unconscious.

"Mat!" Sam exclaimed.

"Oh, don't you _dare_," Nick growled, letting his psychic aura shimmer brighter.

However, Geraldine threw down a set of smoke bombs to cover their trail and move to snatch the unconscious Mat when the spies were unable to see.

By the time Nick released a short-range psychic pulse to clear the smoke away, Geraldine and Natalie had escaped with Mat.

"Did they... did they just pull a fast one on us?!" Nozomi shouted.

Sam, however, was too distraught to say much of anything. It didn't take much longer for the reality of what had just happened to sink in, and she burst into tears after only a few seconds.

Nick quickly moved to hug Sam, letting her cry into his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Sammy, we're going to get him back," Nick stated. "I can promise you that. After all..."

Nick looked out the nearby window, where he could see W.O.O.H.P. headquarters in the distance.

"...by kidnapping one of my friends, those two made this _personal_."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

(Don't just sit there and waste your precious time. When you want to do something, do it right away. Do it when you can. It's the only way to live a life without regrets.)

**Mat49324** and **The Blue Time Ranger** are proud to present:

_Totally Spies!: __Affairs of the Heart_

**Story Rated:** T for Teen

**Story Created:** September 16th, 2019

**Story Summary:** My fourth joint project with Mat49324 that picks up right from where _Disillusioned Memories_ left off. Mathew (or "Mat") is a very big fan of Supercross, but when the final race from Las Vegas doesn't go the way he wanted, it gets him pretty upset. Problem? This attracts the attention of Geraldine Husk and Natalie Valentine, having escaped from prison with every intent of taking revenge. Mistaking Mat's sadness for heartbreak, they create a device that feeds on people's heartbreak for their latest scheme. Can the spies take down Geraldine and Natalie before the case ends in a broken heart or two, or possibly more?

**On Today's Episode:** Geraldine and Natalie have made it personal by kidnapping Mat for their latest scheme, so Sam's obviously got a few bones to pick as the spies set out to find the two villains and figure out what exactly they intend to do to Mat. Does it have something to do with weaponizing his sadness over the Supercross race? Why does Natalie think that Sam broke his heart? And can Geraldine and Natalie be stopped before all of Beverly Hills loses their minds?

**And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** Mat49324 and I do not own anything related to Totally Spies or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Marathon Media Group, Image Entertainment Corporation, Vincent Chalvon-Demersay, and David Michel. The only things of this story we DO own are any characters created by us truly for the story (in this case, Nick, Haruka, Bridget, May, Nozomi, Dawn, and Melissa on my side, and Mathew on his side). Any characters or things we don't own, we are just borrowing with no intent of copyright infringement, only for the entertainment of our readers. Besides, if we _did_ own Totally Spies, which we _don't_, why would we be writing fiction on a fan site?

**Note from Mat49324:** Surprised we haven't gotten reviews yet. I think I should also say that I've made an adjustment of the "Mat" character that I own. It's now an 18-year-old **non-self-insert** with some traits of me as a person. Anyway, we hope to get some reviews from others, but we only do fanfics like this because _we like it_, not to mention I missed doing fanfics for Totally Spies.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Episode 2: This Horizon

"Welcome back, spies," Jerry proclaimed, only to notice that Sam looked rather distraught. "Did... something go wrong out there?"

Sam tried to say something, only for her sadness to get the better of her again. "They... they took Mat," Sam cried.

"And we need help in finding them before Geraldine and Natalie rope him into whatever their crazy scheme of the day is," Bridget proclaimed.

"Luckily, one of my agents was able to place a tracking device on Geraldine before she escaped," Jerry responded. "We've been triangulating their location since they escaped, and we've narrowed it down to somewhere in the Pacific Ocean."

"We're on it!" Melissa exclaimed. "We're not gonna let Sammy suffer any longer."

"Yeah, we've got a couple of nuts to break!" Haruka exclaimed.

The group immediately made a break for the Skyskimmer, which was already programmed with the coordinates.

During the trip to the secret lair, Nick and Alex would occasionally glance at Sam, who was still too sad to say much of anything.

"I really hope Sammy's gonna be okay," Alex stated. "Now I know how Mat felt when Sam got spy-napped by that Phil Jenkins dude..."

"Hey, we'll get Mat back," Nick responded. "I promised her, after all."

"And you never break your promises," Alex giggled, leaning over to give Nick a kiss. Inwardly, Alex was worried about whether or not Geraldine and Natalie's scheme would affect her and Nick's relationship.

But Alex quickly told her mind to be quiet. _We'll be fine, I know it,_ Alex thought. _Nick's far too wily to let himself get caught up in that crud._

It wasn't much longer before the Skyskimmer had arrived at the location of Geraldine and Natalie's secret base.

"Holy _crap_, when did it get so _cold_?!" May exclaimed.

"It feels like you're used to warmer temperatures," Clover quipped.

"Then again, I've really only been in Beverly Hills for about a _month_," May replied, her eyes suddenly sparkling. "That's it, I'm gonna go change into something more suited for this place. Excuse me!"

May dashed into another part of the Skyskimmer so she could switch outfits, and when she came back out, she was now wearing a long-sleeved orange hoodie, black shorts, black fingerless gloves, and a medium-sized cap adorned with a pirate-esque skull and crossbones. She also had a brown handbag draped across her right side.

"Ahh, _much_ better," May giggled.

"Lookin' good, girl!" Haruka stated.

"Aww, you think?" May replied. "But enough fashion talk for now. Let's get in there and stomp somebody."

**("Unseen" by Megan McDuffee plays)**

Naturally, the interior of the base was dark, very depressing-looking, and gave off the air of a secret underground lair belonging to some creepy yakuza leader or something similar.

"Makes _so_ much sense," Dawn quipped.

"Let's keep going, girls," Nick stated. "We've gotta find Mat before things get..."

A figure stepped out of the nearby shadows and stared down the spies.

And he was _pissed_.

"...troublesome," Nick groaned.

"Wait, is that Mat?" Bridget wondered.

Sam couldn't believe her eyes, and rushed forward to hug her boyfriend.

However, Mat's eyes narrowed and he lashed out with a flying kick.

"SAM, GET BACK!" Nick shouted, reaching out with his right hand to envelop Sam in his psychic grip and pull her back just in time to avoid being struck.

"Mat, what the _hell_?!" Nozomi exclaimed.

"Don't think I have _anything _to say to you, you pathetic little _tart_," Mat growled.

Nick looked closer, and sure enough, there was a mark on Mat's shoulder.

"Oh, crap, they got to Mat, too?!" Haruka gasped.

"Sammy, remember, whatever he's saying to you right now, he _doesn't mean it_," Alex proclaimed, hoping to get through to Sam before she had a breakdown. "He's just being influenced by those wackos and their crazy nonsense."

"We'll get him back," Nick quipped, his aura flaring to life. "Even if we gotta rough him up a little. Just a little."

(From **Mat49324**)

(Sam's P.O.V.)

"I'm holding you to that, Nick," I said, fully motivated. "I don't wanna lose Mat... ever."

"We're behind you, Sam," said Alex. "You and Mat are a match made in heaven, just like me and Nick, and we'll keep it that way if it's the last thing we do!"

"I don't have someone... yet," said Clover. "But this is not going to go down the bad way."

"Don't be so sure," Geraldine cackled as she and Natalie made themselves visible to the eleven other spies.

Mat backed up to them.

"One of your spies belongs to us now," Natalie went on. "And his heartbreaking feeling will be what we need to turn this into a world of nothing but _hatred_!"

"You WON'T succeed!" Melissa shouted.

"We WILL stop you!" Dawn added.

"Try all you want," said Haruka. "But you WON'T win! You mess with Mat, you mess with _all of us!_"

"Empty threats..." Geraldine declared. "It's over for you all anyway!"

To say I was _upset_ was a total understatement.

"_NO!_ It's over... FOR YOU!" I shouted back at the both of them. "And I _WILL_ get my Mathew back... no matter what!"

There was _no way_ I wanted that comforting moment last night to cheer up Mat to be one of my _last_ moments with him – I wanted Mat in my life for all eternity. After the last date we had, I knew Mat was a sweetheart deep down, and a good kid on top of that, too.

"Begging for a second chance with him, are you?" Natalie asked with a cackle.

"We may have spared him..." Geraldine went on.

"But he never said what _you_ did!" Natalie finished to me. "So, he had a chance... and didn't take it – just insulted me!"

"And rightfully so!" Britney shouted.

"Yeah!" Bridget added. "And how _dare_ you accuse Sam without any visual proof!"

"Totally!" I exclaimed. "I had _NOTHING_ to do with Mat's sadness!"

"Not _that_ again!" Natalie groaned. "That's the only thing he kept saying; I'm _shocked_ you are with someone like _him!_"

"Because it isn't _your_ business!" Nick shouted. "That's _Mat's_ own business!"

"And you WON'T throw my effort from last night to cheer my sweetie up down the toilet as long as I'm here!" I shouted, my blood pressure the highest it's been in a long time. "Mat and I are _totally_ in love!"

"Correction," Natalie then said. "We _CAN_ and we _WILL_... and _this boy_... is no longer yours."

This made me extra _pissed!_ Natalie was the one who's wrong! Mat _IS_ all mine in my eyes – even after all the times we'd gone through... good, bad, and the others.

_Flashback (2005; still Sam's P.O.V.)_

(A/N: As mentioned as a note in chapter 1, I am using the year 2006 in this fic like in "Disillusioned Memories", which would make my own character age 18 [17 in this flashback] here.)

_**10:48 AM – Spies' House**_

_I'd just finished changing to my green bathing suit for a trip to the beach after Haruka had an urge to hit the beach after hearing "battle by the beach" on one of Mat's Supercross broadcasts that he was watching and recording. The rest of us (Nick, Haruka, Alex, and Clover in this case) had all agreed to hit the beach once Mat's race was over since we weren't in any rush at all; Mat had told us the current race was from nearby in San Diego. Both Alex and Clover had gone with bikinis of their own._

"_How much longer until Mat's race is done?" Clover asked as we began to descend the stairs._

"_Well, Mat said two hours," I said, "and his race started at 9:00; it should be finishing up."_

_When we came downstairs, Haruka and Nick were just finishing eating some food._

"_About two laps to go," Haruka said to us. "So, pretty soon."_

_I could hear the two announcers – Todd Harris and color analyst Cameron Steele according to Mat – say the white flag was coming up. Strangely enough, I could hear Mat hyperventilating at what was going on. I was totally dumbfounded as I checked him out while Alex and Clover went to be with Nick and Haruka. I backed away then to not disturb Mat. I didn't really know much about his Supercross – other than the comparisons he shared with us in the past. I then heard Cameron Steele speak first, followed by Todd Harris._

_Cameron: Well, 4__th__ place Mike LaRocco is just ahead, as is David Vuillemin..._

_Todd: The white flag is out... it's the final lap of the 250 main from San Diego – quite possibly one of the closest races and look at this! Chad Reed only 10 ft. down!_

_Cameron: Oh and... Ricky Carmichael keeps the momentum going in the whoops, but now remember – these next two riders ahead of 'em are 3__RD__ AND 4__TH__ PLACE – YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME! They are not gonna let someone go by that easily..._

_Mat's hyperventilating got faster and faster... and he cheered at a pass from that #22 blue bike. I then heard the two booth announcers again._

_Todd: Reed gets in tight, shows him a wheel and Reed gets the lead! So Ricky's got half a lap to get around these lapped riders and Chad Reed... and it's Chad Reed who goes to the front! What an amazing turn of events... oh! David Vuillemin now slows him down!_

_Cameron: Takes him high – his own teammate takes him high! Vuillemin's like "I'm in 4__th__ place and I'm getting lapped?!"_

_Todd: Chad Reed brings it down through the whoops, Ricky's got a great drive..._

_Both: OH, AND CARMICHAEL GOES DOWN!_

_I could hear Mat scream in a whisper, "Carmichael is _DOWN!_ IT'S OVER... IT'S OVER!"_

_I was still dumbfounded until I saw a big smile on Mat's face and a fist pump while hearing one of the announcers._

_Todd: ...checkered flag and the win! CHAD REED, YOUR WINNER IN SAN DIEGO! WHAT DOES THAT DO TO THE POINTS RACE?!_

_Everything else went on mute to me as I looked at Mat, and then I looked at the TV to see that Carmichael guy trying to restart his motorcycle. Mat was catching his breath, and then I saw him fall to his knees... still breathing and one hand clutching his stomach._

"_MAT!" I gasped._

_Clover came running to Mat a few seconds later as well to help out; the others came, too. I could hear that same announcer say "What did I just do?"_

_Todd: But he had such a big lead on everyone else and Chad was just coming through... I talked to Ricky earlier, Cameron. He said, "The most important thing is that I protect my championship." Right now he just opened the door big time. The worst thing I think he could've done was give Chad Reed a breath of life._

_I then saw that Reed guy on the TV breathing in relief as if he'd escaped a shark attack or something. I turned back to Mat and could see him still breathing while his race went to commercial, but he hadn't looked up yet._

"_Mat, are you feeling OK?" I asked, pretty concerned._

"_Do we gotta call a paramedic?!" Alex exclaimed._

"_No... way... don't... Alex," Mat said, motioning his hand at Alex as he caught his breath and began to come to._

_Haruka and Nick came to try and help, but Mat motioned his hand to stop them again. I then sighed in relief when Mat looked up, but he was still catching his breath. It took Mat a little while longer for him to look like he was back to normal._

"_Uh, Mat... are you OK _NOW?!"_ I then asked him still concerned as Mat got to his feet._

_I _DIDN'T_ expect what was to happen next as he hugged me with an excited look on his face._

"_OF COURSE I'm OK now, Sammy!" Mat exclaimed as our cheeks touched. "I _FINALLY_ got what I wanted in Chad Reed winning his first race of the Supercross season!"_ (remember Season 1's "Eraser" when Mandy did the same thing to Sam?)

_Mat listened in on the winner interviews and heard Mike LaRocco scored the 80__th__ podium of his career in 18 years. He was still so happy and at a loss for words._

"_Sooo... is it safe to say your race is done?" I asked Mat._

"_Totally," said Mat. "But don't mind me if I'm gonna be floating for a bit on the beach – and I say that figuratively..."_

"_Wow, man, that was something else," Nick quipped._

"_You gonna be all right, Mat?" Alex asked again._

"_Yeah, thanks, Alex," said Mat. "Except I feel like my heart skipped two beats – _at least_ – after THAT race..."_

"_Kinda reminds me of that one time Nick won that karate tournament," Haruka stated. "Remember that one, Nick?"_

"_I was just in shock that I actually won," Nick laughed. "You __**saw**__ how fast that one guy was moving, right?"_

_(end flashback)_

I then remembered Mat later apologized to me for "getting a little too excited," even though I felt that he really didn't. He had even thrown in an apology to the others (mainly Clover and Alex) for possibly worrying them. When I got back to reality, I could hear Nick's voice.

"You're NOT gonna take Mat with you," Nick then said as his psychic aura started to flare.

"Nick's right!" I exclaimed. "Mat belongs to _ME!_ _I LOVE HIM!_"

It was faint, but I could see a twitch on his face, which made me think he heard me.

"Take 'em!" Geraldine ordered at Mat.

"MAT, DON'T!" Clover shouted.

"Come on, Mat, snap out of it!" May exclaimed. "I haven't known you for very long, but I know enough to know that you and Sam were _meant to be_!"

Another twitch on his face. Are we getting through to him?

"Come on, spies!" said Nick.

"Totally," I said. "We gotta rescue the crazy-for-me Supercross fan we've known to love!"

"Right behind you, Sam," Britney added.

"You won't do it," cackled Geraldine. "As soon as we've taken enough of your boyfriend's heartbreak, we won't need him anymore and leave him for a better place!"

"So stock up your prayers," Natalie cackled.

Mat then commenced his attack on us.

Nick ducked under a leaping axe kick and retaliated by pushing Mat back with a short-range pulse wave. "Come on, man, don't make me do this," Nick quipped.

"You're _supporting _her ludicrous excuses?!" Mat shouted, rushing back in to grapple with Nick. Even though Nick pushed back, Mat managed to trip him up with a leg sweep before throwing him against a nearby steel pillar.

"You're _all _complicit in this madness!" Mat exclaimed, making a move towards Alex, who was the closest, only for Nick to reach out and snatch Mat in his psychic grip.

"Hands _off_ my sweetheart," Nick growled.

"Alex, Brit," I said. "Go after those two – as soon as we save Mat, some more of you will join in; the rest of us will as soon as we can!"

"Roger that, Sammy!" Alex exclaimed as she and Britney chased after Geraldine and Natalie, who were rapidly fleeing down the nearby hallway.

Nick decided to assist by using his free hand to fire off a few bursts that bounced off of the walls (so as not to hit Britney or Alex) until they ricocheted into Geraldine and Natalie, knocking them down.

"Now _get up_," Britney proclaimed.

"Fat chance!" Geraldine bellowed, kicking out to send Britney and Alex scattering in different directions before reaching for a pistol in her pocket and firing another dart straight for Nick.

Much to Alex's relief, however, Nick caught the dart with his psychic grip and tossed it straight into the wall, where it shattered on impact.

"Nice try, ladies," Nick taunted. "But you're _not_ pulling _me_ into your bull."

Nick ducked and weaved to avoid Mat's continuous attacks, considering he had to release Mat in order to block the shot.

"We need some kind of plan here!" Nick exclaimed.

Nick, Dawn, and I dodged as many attacks as possible... until we saw Mat fall to his knees. I knew what that meant.

"SAMMY!" Alex screamed. "Geraldine and Natalie have fed off enough of Mat's heartbreak! We gotta stop them now!"

"I think I can stall 'em!" Nick then said. "Keep him alive, Sam!"

(Written by **The Blue Time Ranger**)

(Nick's P.O.V.)

I won't lie to you, when I saw how distraught Sam looked, I was _legitimately _pissed off at Geraldine and Natalie.

And I rarely _ever_ get _actually_ pissed anymore, so that's a testament to what they're trying to pull.

"All right, answer me this," I proclaimed. "Is _this_ really part of your grand master scheme?!"

"Of course!" Natalie shouted. "Romance is nothing but a big, fat _delusion_, after all. You people _really_ think you _love_ each other?! You're nothing but teenage beauty queens hopping on the latest man train when it suits you!"

Okay, I _know_ I saw Sam's eyes blazing for a second there.

Before I could say anything else, Alex walked over to me and put her arms around me.

"Shows what _you_ know about love, _Nat_," Alex responded. "If you'd been paying attention to everything while you were stuck in that jail cell at W.O.O.H.P., you'd realize that Nick and I are a _perfect_ example of a loving relationship!"

"All _you_ have to go on is your rejection spiel," I continued. "Just because _one guy_ rejected you, you think all romance is a bunch of lies? How whacked in the head _are_ you to think that?!"

"For that matter, Nick was a perfect boyfriend when he was mine," Nozomi cut in. "Learn to _study_ relationships before deciding on your dumbbell opinions!"

"Oh, don't tell me you honestly _believe_ that spiel?!" Natalie proclaimed. "You're just going to _dump_ her once you realize the truth!"

All right, that's it.

I've had all I can stands, and I _can't stands no more._

My psychic aura exploded outwards, and I was definitely pleased to see Geraldine and Natalie take a few steps back.

"You're pissing me off, _ladies_," I growled. "If you've read up on me, you should know that _bad things_ have happened to superbaddies who've pissed me off."

"Empty threats," Geraldine cackled. "Nothing more."

"Oh, you'd _like_ to think that, wouldn't you?" I shot back, raising my right hand. "Try thinking _this_ is empty! _FINAL SHINE ATTACK!_"

I unleashed a giant blast of green energy towards Geraldine and Natalie, forcing them both to flee for the moment. Right now, we've gotta focus on hopefully getting Mat back.

"Sam, it's all you," I quipped. "He's _your_ boyfriend, so I figure you've got the best chance."

"Yeah, Sammy, you got this," Alex stated.

I watched Sam's face shift through so many different emotions as she walked up to where Mat was lying on the ground.

"Please, Mat..." Sam cried. "Come back to me..."

Sam leaned down and kissed Mat as passionately as I've ever seen her do so, hoping beyond hope that he would make it through.

A few tense seconds passed with seemingly nothing changing...

...until Mat finally opened his eyes.

Sam just stared at him for a few seconds, hoping he'd say something.

"Um..." Mat asked as he looked up at Sam. "Where the heck am I?"

"MAT!" Sam squealed, hugging Mat tightly and even letting a few tears fall.

"Huh?" Mat asked weakly.

"True love's kiss wakes up the sleeping prince!" Clover laughed. "Works _every_ time!"

"I thought it was the other way around, Clover," May giggled.

"Hey, Sammy, is everything okay?" Mat asked. "What the heck did I miss while I was out?"

"The twin tarts took you so they could feed off your heartbreak for their diabolical plans," Alex explained. "They even had you brainwashed for a bit so you'd attack us like those crazy girls at the Groove."

"And rest assured, they'll pay for that," Nick continued. "But we had to hold off on them for a bit to get you back to your senses."

"Oh, Mat, I really thought I'd lost you," Sam cried.

"Hey, to take a page from Nick's vocabulary, you won't be getting rid of me that easily," Mat laughed, finally recovered enough to return Sam's hug. "I love you, Sam. I always will."

"I love you, too, Mat," Sam replied. "Now and forever."

"Okay, enough of the lovey-dovey stuff for the moment," Bridget proclaimed, typing in a command on her X-Powder to transform into her Sonic Mode, a special synthetic suit that granted her absurd speed and agility. "We've gotta go catch up with Geraldine and Natalie before they leave this place behind!"

"Yeah, I owe those two some _lumps_," Sam growled.

"Let's go take care of business, spies!" Nick exclaimed.

(From **Mat49324**)

(Mat's P.O.V.)

We all high-tailed it back to the Skyskimmer after Geraldine and Natalie to save the world; I still breathed a bit – still not a hundred percent, but getting there.

"Are you okay, Mat?" Clover asked, beating Sam to the punch.

"I admit the last thing I remember was that needle hitting my shoulder," I began. "Besides all that, it sucked a bit of my strength out; everything else I don't remember."

"Can you do this?" Sam asked me.

"Look," I stated, breathing. "You say you got a score to settle with them, Sammy? I do, too. Anybody who doesn't believe me the first time around and find out I was right all along, I take really personal."

Sam nodded with determination. Everyone else did, too.

"Besides," I said, still breathing occasionally. "I don't want my own personal heartbreak count to go up to two! You all know what number one was..."

Everyone gave a nod as Sam and I had our hands intertwine.

"I know that look," said Dawn to me.

Nozomi looked like she figured out my look, too.

"What's that?" asked Bridget.

"I'll explain afterwards," said Dawn. "We've got two baddies to stop."

"And a world to save from violence, heartbreak, and irrational thinking, too," I continued.

"Where do we start though?" Alex asked as we found our way out of Geraldine's barge.

We unfortunately couldn't see their getaway vehicle.

"Oh great!" Clover exclaimed. "We don't even know if they are skyward or underwater!"

"Sam to the rescue," said Sam as she got out her X-Powder.

She tinkered with it a bit.

"Looks like they're trying to escape through the sky," Sam quipped.

"Well, it's a good thing we've got our favorite jet here to assist in the chase!" May giggled.

We then got in the Skyskimmer, but Haruka and Sam helped me in.

"Time to notify Jerry," said Alex.

"How's the mission, spies?" Jerry asked when I buzzed for him.

"Much better, Jer," said Haruka.

"Totally," said Sam. "We got Mat back for starters... except he _is_ still exhausted for some reason. Any way you can scan him for why?"

"I think so," said Jerry. "Aim your X-Powder at Mat and I should have some results for you."

"Mat, Jerry's gonna scan you," Sam said to me.

"I think it's just residual from yesterday, but okay," I said, conceding.

Sam aimed her X-Powder at me and I could see the lights go around me from head to toe.

"Is it good news, Jer?" I asked.

"Mostly," Jerry answered. "Mat is going to be just fine. He was simply drained of energy after what Geraldine and Natalie had done to him. I suspect a few days of rest once this is all over, and he'll be good as new."

"Mat, maybe you should stay behind after what you went through," Alex suggested.

"No way," I said. "Sam and I have a score to settle with Geraldine and Natalie..."

Sam looked back at me and nodded in agreement.

"I've already had one heartbreak with Chad Reed losing the Supercross title," I continued on. "I _DON'T_ want to make it two. Nobody's gonna get away with using MY sadness to do something like _THIS!_"

"And _NOBODY_ will snatch _my_ boyfriend for their own gain, too!" Sam exclaimed.

"You sure, Mat?" Nozomi asked.

"I have to," I said. "If I don't do this, I won't live with myself."

Sam and I shared another nod.

(Written by **The Blue Time Ranger**)

"Incoming bad guy jet!" May exclaimed, pointing out towards the horizon, where Geraldine and Natalie's jet could be seen.

"Let's speed up, then!" Alex exclaimed. "We've gotta shoot that thing down before they escape!"

"I'll go up and be the gunner," Nick proclaimed, his psychic aura bursting to life around him. "You all keep on them, and I'll shoot them down."

"Just be careful up there," Bridget quipped. "We have no idea if they're going to shoot back or not."

"Knowing these tarts, they probably will," Haruka sighed, checking the radar equipment to see Geraldine and Natalie's jet. Nick quickly clambered out across the side of the Skyskimmer, using his psychic power to hold on as he climbed up the side to stand on the top of the canopy enough so he could see his target and not get in the way of the spies' piloting.

"Geraldine, they're following us!" Natalie shrieked.

"Of _course_ they're following us," Geraldine groaned. "Well, I have no doubt that our automated defense systems will shoot them down."

Geraldine's cockiness was quickly rattled when their jet was rocked by something striking its right flank.

"What the hell was that?!" Natalie exclaimed.

Nick raised his right hand to fire another salvo of blasts towards the escape jet, using his left hand to blast down any missiles or other explosive devices that the jet would fire toward them.

"Keep trying, ladies," Nick taunted.

"_Nick, they're about to fire a giant laser at us! We need to evade, so hold on tight!"_ Alex's voice resounded.

"It's _always_ a laser," Nick quipped as he kneeled down to firmly grasp the hull of the Skyskimmer, using his psychic power to keep his footing as the Skyskimmer performed a barrel roll to avoid the laser blast from the jet.

"Bad spin cycle memories," Nick quipped as he righted himself, then raised his right hand to charge a Final Shine Attack. "Spies, speed up!"

"_Roger that!"_ Haruka exclaimed, and the Skyskimmer began to accelerate until it was only a couple miles away from the escape jet.

"What are you waiting for, _Nat_?! Shoot those wretched spies out of the sky!" Geraldine shouted.

"The weapons need time to reload!" Natalie shot back. "Curse this beta-version equipment!"

Nick aimed his right hand for the escape jet, his palm pulsing a bright green.

"You wanna break people's hearts, you wackos?" Nick proclaimed. "Then how about I break _yours_?! _FINAL SHINE ATTACK!_"

The escape jet tried to maneuver away, but Nick already had it in his sights, firing off a giant neon-green blast that thundered through the air and struck the center of the escape jet, causing explosions to erupt all over it before it eventually broke apart, its shattered pieces falling into the ocean with much pageantry.

"And _down_ they go!" Melissa exclaimed.

"Um, I wouldn't be too sure of that," Sam quipped, pointing to a smaller, much sleeker craft that had escaped from the remains of the jet, turning around and flying away.

"Of _course_," Alex sighed.

"Wait, where are they going?" Clover asked. Her answer came in the form of Sam's X-Powder beeping, which she opened to reveal the face of Jerry.

"What's the sit-rep, Jerry?" Sam asked. "Do you know which way they're heading?"

"Yes, they appear to be flying back towards Beverly Hills, no doubt to finish what they started there," Jerry proclaimed.

"We've gotta turn around _now_!" Mat exclaimed. "We've got to get back to Beverly Hills before they do! They're _not _going to get away with this."

"Damn straight, Mat," Sam proclaimed. "_Nobody_ messes with my boyfriend and gets away with it!"

Haruka quickly turned the Skyskimmer around and punched in the coordinates to take them back to Beverly Hills with all the speed the sleek plane could muster, hoping to stop Geraldine and Natalie's plans to turn the world into a cesspool of violence and hatred.

_To be continued..._

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On the next episode...

Sam: Holy science class, what's _happening _here?! It's almost like the whole _city's_ going crazy now!

Mat: Sounds like they've stepped up their plans. Guess that means we have some work to do.

Nick: Do you honestly think you're going to get away with this?!

Geraldine: Look around you. We've clearly already won!

Natalie: Practically _everyone_ in Beverly Hills has been twisted to our ideals! Now you'll see that romance is nothing but an illusion!

Mat: Oh, really?

Sam: Well, if that's what you think...

Sam and Mat: Then we're just going to have to _destroy_ that screwed illusion of yours!

Alex: Wow, synchronized epic speech.

Nozomi: Right out of an anime, eh?

Nick: Next time on _Totally Spies: Affairs of the Heart_, "Mechanical Dance"!

Alex: Love is the _true_ superpower! ...that's what my script says, right?


	3. Mechanical Dance

_Previously on Affairs of the Heart..._

"What are you waiting for, _Nat_?! Shoot those wretched spies out of the sky!" Geraldine shouted.

"The weapons need time to reload!" Natalie shot back. "Curse this beta-version equipment!"

Nick aimed his right hand for the escape jet, his palm pulsing a bright green.

"You wanna break people's hearts, you wackos?" Nick proclaimed. "Then how about I break _yours_?! _FINAL SHINE ATTACK!_"

The escape jet tried to maneuver away, but Nick already had it in his sights, firing off a giant neon-green blast that thundered through the air and struck the center of the escape jet, causing explosions to erupt all over it before it eventually broke apart, its shattered pieces falling into the ocean with much pageantry.

"And _down_ they go!" Melissa exclaimed.

"Um, I wouldn't be too sure of that," Sam quipped, pointing to a smaller, much sleeker craft that had escaped from the remains of the jet, turning around and flying away.

"Of _course_," Alex sighed.

"Wait, where are they going?" Clover asked. Her answer came in the form of Sam's X-Powder beeping, which she opened to reveal the face of Jerry.

"What's the sit-rep, Jerry?" Sam asked. "Do you know which way they're heading?"

"Yes, they appear to be flying back towards Beverly Hills, no doubt to finish what they started there," Jerry proclaimed.

"We've gotta turn around _now_!" Mat exclaimed. "We've got to get back to Beverly Hills before they do! They're _not _going to get away with this."

"Damn straight, Mat," Sam proclaimed. "_Nobody_ messes with my boyfriend and gets away with it!"

Haruka quickly turned the Skyskimmer around and punched in the coordinates to take them back to Beverly Hills with all the speed the sleek plane could muster, hoping to stop Geraldine and Natalie's plans to turn the world into a cesspool of violence and hatred.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

(Don't just sit there and waste your precious time. When you want to do something, do it right away. Do it when you can. It's the only way to live a life without regrets.)

**Mat49324** and **The Blue Time Ranger** are proud to present:

_Totally Spies!: __Affairs of the Heart_

**Story Rated:** T for Teen

**Story Created:** September 16th, 2019

**Story Summary:** My fourth joint project with Mat49324 that picks up right from where _Disillusioned Memories_ left off. Mathew (or "Mat") is a very big fan of Supercross, but when the final race from Las Vegas doesn't go the way he wanted, it gets him pretty upset. Problem? This attracts the attention of Geraldine Husk and Natalie Valentine, having escaped from prison with every intent of taking revenge. Mistaking Mat's sadness for heartbreak, they create a device that feeds on people's heartbreak for their latest scheme. Can the spies take down Geraldine and Natalie before the case ends in a broken heart or two, or possibly more?

**On Today's Episode:** The spies return to Beverly Hills to put a stop to Geraldine and Natalie's plans, only to have to fight their way through a horde of heartbroken and rage-filled people in order to reach their target. Even so, what underhanded tricks do Geraldine and Natalie have up their sleeves for this big confrontation? Can this devilish duo be stopped before heartbreak engulfs Beverly Hills?

**And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** Mat49324 and I do not own anything related to Totally Spies or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Marathon Media Group, Image Entertainment Corporation, Vincent Chalvon-Demersay, and David Michel. The only things of this story we DO own are any characters created by us truly for the story (in this case, Nick, Haruka, Bridget, May, Nozomi, Dawn, and Melissa on my side, and Mathew on his side). Any characters or things we don't own, we are just borrowing with no intent of copyright infringement, only for the entertainment of our readers. Besides, if we _did_ own Totally Spies, which we _don't_, why would we be writing fiction on a fan site?

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Episode 3: Mechanical Dance

"Come on, spies, we need to get moving!" Sam exclaimed the instant the Skyskimmer touched down in Beverly Hills, leading the group off to beat feet for the city.

However, when they arrived, absolute chaos seemed to have descended on the city, as hundreds upon hundreds of people were arguing with each other, some even resorting to physical violence.

"What the heck happened while we were away?!" Clover gasped. "It's like that crowd from the school _tripled_!"

"They're most likely getting ready for the final phase of their plan," Sam quipped. "Which means we need to bust through this crowd and find them on the _double_!"

"There may be a problem with that, Sammy," Alex responded. "Remember that mad crowd we had to squeeze through when the Groove first opened? This is, like, _five times_ the size of _that_ crowd! How the heck are we supposed to get through if we could barely squeeze through _that_?"

"Then allow me to provide the transportation," Nick proclaimed, his psychic aura shimmering to life as he threw his hands out to project a bubble of soft yellow light around the entire group. When everyone was safe inside the bubble, Nick flicked his right hand upwards and the bubble began to ascend, eventually stopping and flying forward.

"Ah, that's _much_ better," Bridget giggled.

"Where do you think they went?" Haruka wondered.

Nick glanced around, using his psychic powers to enhance his vision, until he caught sight of the spies' villa, where he could also see two very familiar figures.

"Looks like they're trying to make a house call," Nick stated. "Let's go show 'em the door."

Geraldine and Natalie were just about to resort to more forceful methods to break down the door to the villa when the bubble transport landed safely on the ground, Nick dissolving the bubble so they could all prepare to go on the offensive.

"Trying for a home invasion, now, Nat?" Sam taunted. "I thought you couldn't sink any lower."

"For your information, you blasted spies, we were looking for _you_ so we could eliminate you from our lives once and for all," Geraldine proclaimed.

"Um, you _do _know how this turned out last time? For _both_ of you?" Alex shot back.

"But last time, we didn't have _this_," Natalie laughed as she and Geraldine revealed two similar devices that resembled GPS bracelets. "These bracelets will allow us to channel all the heartbreak energy we've created by amplifying this town's emotions."

"So prepare to meet your _doom_, spies!" Geraldine cackled. "This is where we wash our hands of every last one of you!"

**("A Realm of Emptiness" by Naoshi Mizuta plays)**

As Geraldine and Natalie equipped the bracelets around their arms, Sam quickly moved to fire a blast from her Wind Tunnel 9000 at Natalie, only for her to tank the blast like it was nothing.

"Oh, that's not _any _kind of good," Sam quipped. "But that's not going to stop me! I owe the both of you a very _painful_ beatdown for what you did to my boyfriend!"

"I've got some anger to vent, too," Mat replied, shifting into a fighting stance alongside Sam. "I've already had my share of heartbreak that _wasn't_ caused by those two nuts over there, and I really don't feel like adding anymore to that list."

"You heard the lovely couple," Nick proclaimed, his aura shining brightly. "Let's get it on!"

(From **Mat49324**)

"You'll all be sent to your graves for all eternity," Geraldine cackled in overconfidence.

"That's what YOU think," declared Mat.

He turned to Sam and held out his hand to her.

"Time to settle the score," Mat continued.

Sam nodded and grabbed Mat's hand.

"As Nick said... you are twisted," said Sam. "But you _WON'T_ succeed in your twisted scheme! You can break hearts..."

"But you can't break _true love!_" Sam and Mat finished together.

"That's what _YOU_ think," Natalie sneered.

The twelve spies charged forward. Natalie and Geraldine used their GPS bracelets to fire their heartbreak energy at the group. They were all on the spot and dodged the laser easily.

"You can't break the loving relationship Mat and I have!" Sam exclaimed as she and Mat went airborne at the firing of another laser of energy.

Geraldine and Natalie gasped as both Mat and Sam split them both with double kicks. The others joined from all directions.

"You're not going anywhere!" May shouted, leaping in to attack Natalie with a flying kick, only for her to dodge and catch May's foot in mid-swing. Not impressed, May leaped into the air and struck out with her other foot, catching Natalie off guard and knocking her back a few feet.

"Oh, yeah! Hehehe, Johnny taught me that one," May giggled.

Geraldine and Clover faced each other down, both more than willing to settle their own score.

Naturally, Geraldine tried a feint to throw Clover off, but she had seen that before, feinting in the same direction to make Natalie miss before knocking her back with a backward somersault kick.

"Don't _ever_ mess with the best!" Clover taunted.

"Why, you little..." Geraldine growled, only to be suddenly knocked away by something she couldn't see. That something came back for at least seven more hits before planting its foot in her chest, sending her into an ungainly tumble.

"Nice shot, Bridget!" Clover exclaimed.

"They _never_ see it coming," Bridget giggled, having changed into Sonic Mode in the commotion. "After all, can't hit what you can't catch, right?"

"This fight's not over yet!" Geraldine exclaimed.

She threw down several more smoke bombs. Natalie then fired another shot and hit Britney.

"BRIT!" Alex screamed, able to see her get hit through the smoke.

Britney obviously had the wind knocked out of her. Thinking fast, Nick used his short-range psychic pulse to send the smoke away as Geraldine then got a shot off for herself...

...straight for Alex.

"Oh, no you don't!" Nick exclaimed and created a psychic bubble to save Alex and cause Geraldine's shot to become voided like a bullet hitting a target at the shooting range.

Alex sighed in relief as Nick released the psychic bubble.

"Thanks, Nick!" Alex exclaimed, finding the time to sneak in a quick peck on Nick's cheek as she went to tend to Britney.

He shot a smile back at her and turned back to Geraldine.

"Trying that on _MY GIRL_ again?!" Nick shot. "No chance of that!"

"Oh, come on, boy, don't tell me you _actually_ love this girl?" Geraldine laughed.

Nick's answer to that question was a Final Shine Attack that carried Geraldine into a nearby tree and exploded on impact.

"What did I tell you about insulting my relationship?" Nick growled.

"Don't... don't think I'm done yet," Geraldine proclaimed, picking herself up quickly, trying to make it look like she didn't feel that last attack, even if it actually hurt her.

"We've got bones to pick with you, too!" Clover exclaimed to Geraldine. "Especially after YOU turned me against my buds before!"

She used her laser lipstick to shoot at Geraldine's wrist to get her to lose grip on the pistol. Clover got a direct hit and sent Geraldine's pistol spinning away from her.

"Take THAT!" Clover exclaimed.

Melissa and Dawn teamed up to give a double kick to Geraldine and sent her to the floor.

"What do you gotta say to that... you true WOOHP reject?!" Clover asked.

Meanwhile, Natalie was having her hands full with Mat and Sam.

"You're coming back to the dark side, boy," Natalie declared and fired a shot at Mat.

"Oh, you think _THAT'S_ going to work?!" Mat exclaimed and dodged the shot. "I may be hurting, but you're NOT putting me on your side a second time!"

"You know it's inevitable, boy," Natalie cackled. "Just give it up and spare yourself the pain."

"Oh, that's _it_," Mat growled.

As Mat continued to defend himself against another shot from Natalie, she eyed him. Sam tried to intervene, but Natalie was able to push her away and cause Sam to fall on her backside.

"Should I give you a last chance to say what your _girlfriend_ did to you?" Natalie cackled.

"I'm telling you..." grunted Mat, gritting his teeth. "She did _NOTHING_ to break my heart!"

He managed to break free and kneed Natalie back, and sent her flat on her back.

"I shouldn't expect anything from some dumb broad with a twisted delusion about the best feeling in the world..." said Mat as he got to his feet.

He then looked at Sam, who was still sorting herself out.

"Delusion?" Natalie gasped dramatically before laughing. "It's the truth! Love is just an illusion, nothing more than a fleeting feeling that shouldn't even have the right to exist!"

Natalie glanced at Sam, which immediately got Mat on the defensive once Natalie raised her pistol again.

**("A Realm of Emptiness ~Dissidia 012 ver.~" by Tsuyoshi Sekito plays)**

"Let me etch that into your distorted mind, boy!" Natalie shouted, firing the pistol.

Mat moved as fast as his legs could carry him, grabbing Sam and going into a roll, moving them both out of the blast's path just in time.

"Holy _crapbaskets_, that was _way_ too close," Alex quipped.

"You okay, Sam?" Mat asked.

"I almost wasn't," Sam giggled. "Thanks for the save, Mat."

"Hey, to once again borrow something from Nick, I wouldn't be doing my job as your boyfriend if I didn't help you out, even when I'm not feeling a hundred percent myself."

"And I wouldn't be doing my job as your girlfriend if I didn't show my appreciation," Sam giggled, leaning up to kiss Mat.

"Guys, we've got a problem! These two just _will not_ stay down!" May exclaimed.

"I think we need to get those bracelets off of them!" Dawn shouted. "That's probably how they're buffing themselves!"

"You must have suffered a lapse in judgment by saying that out loud, spies," Geraldine cackled.

"We _know_ that our bracelets are the only thing keeping us in this fight," Natalie laughed. "What makes you think we're going to drop our guard, even for a second?"

Nick simply smirked, his right hand surrounded by a shimmering yellow glow. "Oh, just... well, _this_."

Before anyone could react, Nick raised his hand and caused a bubble of golden light to explode outwards from his palm, enveloping the entire street and everyone in it, grinding time within the bubble to a complete halt.

Once the time freeze activated, Nick was already on the move to behind Natalie, charging his psychic energy into both of his palms.

"Game over, ladies," Nick proclaimed. _"FINAL SHINE ATTACK, IN STEREO!"_

Nick unleashed a Final Shine Attack from his right hand to destroy Natalie's bracelet, then another from his left hand to destroy Geraldine's bracelet.

Stopping to catch his breath for a couple seconds (after all, stopping time and firing off two consecutive Final Shine Attacks _was_ a bit of an energy-drainer), Nick eventually snapped his fingers and undid the time freeze, causing Geraldine and Natalie to fall to their knees in disbelief, their strength rapidly fading.

"W-what?!" Geraldine gasped. "Inconceivable!"

"H-How did you destroy the bracelets without us noticing?!" Natalie gasped.

"The power of love," Nick responded as Alex stood by his side. "With a little help from the power to freeze time temporarily."

Geraldine and Natalie attempted to pick themselves up, only to be ensnared by Nick's psychic grip.

"It's _over_," Nick proclaimed. "You lost because you stopped believing in true love and dismissed it as just a rebellious fantasy. Well, look at what we've accomplished today. Go and ruminate on that in your cells."

As soon as it all was said and done, we noticed the WOOHP jet land and Jerry coming into view. Other agents came to arrest Natalie and Geraldine and escort them on.

"Well done, agents," said Jerry.

"Thanks, Jer," said Sam.

Two other agents, plus Haruka and Alex were also tending to Britney.

"We had to work for THAT one," said Melissa.

"Totally," Clover stated.

"Jerry, do me a big favor," said Mat. "Make sure they don't ever get out again."

"Will do," said Jerry as he got to the WOOHP jet. "We'll take it from here, spies. And, Mat I send you my best, too."

"Thanks, Jer," said Mat, looking slightly surprised.

"Wait..." said May. "You _know_ what broke Mat's heart?"

"I figured something was upsetting him, due to how he was acting, and considering that Geraldine and Natalie wanted to use him for their scheme," Jerry admitted. "At the same time, I knew that if anyone could keep him together, it would be all of you."

"Nice to know Jerry's got so much faith in us," May giggled.

When Jerry went off in the WOOHP jet, Sam looked at Mat, who looked off in the distance. He had sighed over everything that had happened in the past twenty-plus hours, beginning with the 2006 Vegas Supercross finale.

"Mat, are you feeling better?" Sam asked. "We've been worried about you... including me."

"Mm-hmm," said Alex coming forward. "Sammy told us what happened last night with you."

"Yeah, bro," Nick added. "You acted close to how I felt when I had to destroy that knock-off of Kevin that Genesis created."

"Well, you guys know how much of an emotional rollercoaster I just went through," Mat began. "And you all know Supercross is my heart and soul, and so is Chad Reed – though I know I have to put Sam as number one – better get that out first..."

That tidbit made Sam pat him on the shoulder.

"I know what happened last night was a tough pill for me to swallow," Mat continued on. "And, I know Chad Reed gave it his best..."

There was a slight pause so Mat could fight back his emotions.

"Do you think if we sat with you, the outcome might've been different?" Alex asked.

"I don't think so," said Mat. "It might've, but I honestly didn't think so; I know how hard it is to beat Ricky Carmichael straight up. So don't feel bad, Alex. I said I wouldn't be mad if you guys didn't sit with me for the Vegas race; you all did so for Daytona already."

"Any hope for a penalty like before?" Haruka asked.

"No," said Mat. "Nobody in a perfect world will fill that hole in me after last night... but I have come to a point where I can make peace with what happened. And what you guys saw from me at least... I feel like I proved I got as big a heart as Chad Reed. I'm not taking all the credit though."

That gave Sam a grin as Mat fought his emotions yet again.

"Look, I know you guys have been worried about me," Mat continued. "And I know if I keep dwelling on this and just keep walking around with a long face, I might ruin the best thing in my life... all of you – especially Sam. Obviously Saturday night really hurt me emotionally, and I really thought it was going to take me until at least mid-week to get over this... but..." He sighed and looked upward, but managed to smile.

Bridget and Britney patted his shoulders.

"I'm gonna hold my head high and... just wait for Supercross 2007 and... hope that Chad Reed will hand it to them then. For now, I'll just... walk away and... watch Carmichael annihilate everyone in Motocross ten years in a row, and hope Chad Reed will garner a win then," said Mat as he got to his knees. "I'm not gonna do a similar thing that Damon Bradshaw did after 1993 when he walked away from the sport of Supercross entirely at age 21. Besides, for me, if there's any consolation, the guy I didn't want to win the Supercross title this year – James Stewart – didn't win the title. Besides, I know – not 'think' – **I KNOW** that Chad Reed _WILL_ win another Supercross title; I guess the only question is when."

"I know that feeling," said Dawn. "Racing is part of you."

Sam had joined in after Dawn had said "racing."

"Damn straight it is," said Mat.

**("Whatever It Takes" by Imagine Dragons plays)**

"You're really stronger than you think sometimes, Mat," Nick quipped. "And trust me, man, I know the feeling after everything Genesis put us through."

"I may not have known you for too long, Mat, but from what I've seen, you're a cool dude who wouldn't let this keep him down for the rest of his life," May proclaimed. "No matter how long it took, I knew you'd be able to pick yourself back up again."

"That's just one of the reasons I love you, Mat," Sam stated. "You're tough, and despite being dragged into a crazy scheme, you never let despair completely take you. And like we said to Nick, if you ever do fall into darkness, we'll pull you out as many times as we've got to. That's a promise."

To Sam's surprise, Mat leaped at Sam to hug her, only to lift her up and spin her around in a twirl of love.

"Thanks, you guys," said Mat. "Especially you, Sam."

"Wait, wait, did you say _ten years in a row?!_" asked May.

"Yes I did," said Mat. "And that's no joke."

With both Geraldine and Natalie thwarted, and all the hoopla that had gone on at ease, everyone got back to the villa doing whatever they liked, but Mat and Sam opted for alone time in Sam's room.

(Sam's P.O.V.)

Mat and I were sitting on my bed and hugging each other. I gave occasional soft pecks to Mat in an attempt to keep his spirits up, especially after what he'd been through.

"Sam, I'm really sorry about all this," Mat whispered to me.

"There's nothing to be sorry for, Mat," I replied. "I understand _completely_."

There was a few moments of silence.

"You know, you handled your 'heartbreak' _a lot_ better than I thought you would," I then said to Mat.

"You think so?" Mat asked.

"Yeah, for one thing, you let me in and allowed me to understand why you were so upset," I answered.

"Thanks, Sam," Mat whispered. "I really needed this."

"I'm just glad you're back with us," I whispered back. "And I have to thank you for saving me again, too."

"You're welcome," Mat said. "I _had_ to do it after all."

"Though... I don't know if we'd want to be around you if you hadn't pulled it off," I said to Mat.

That got his attention.

"Sam, I'd rather have risked it than die a little bit inside every day," said Mat.

(Author's Note from **Mat49324**: FTR, this last quote and the "Racing is part of you" quote are references to the movie "Bennett's War" that was in theaters on August 30, 2019 – a movie I **never** got to see.)

"Well, I appreciate it," I said as we shared a deep kiss.

It was during our kiss that we heard a few knocks at the door.

"Sammy?" went Alex's voice.

"Come in," I said after we broke away from our kiss.

We saw it was Alex and Nick, too and they saw us holding each other.

"Just checking on you," said Alex. "Especially Mat."

"We'll come back later if we're interrupting," Nick offered.

"We're all good," I said with a nod and a smile at them both.

"Mm-hmm," said Mat as he gently nuzzled with me. "This time with Sammy is definitely what I needed."

"Good to hear, bro," said Nick to Mat. "We're thinking about dinner pretty soon."

"Okay," I said.

Alex then got out of the way.

"Nick..." I called out. "Close the door please?"

Nick nodded and was about to until...

"No, wait..." said Mat. "Can I talk to you and Alex real quick?"

"Yeah sure," said Nick, sounding surprised.

"What's up?" Alex asked.

I let Mat go and have his talk with them. While I waited for him to come back, I couldn't help but think to myself how great it felt to have Mat back on our side. I could hear their muffled voices from outside my room, but it wasn't my business anyway. A minute later, I heard my door open.

"Gimme five – I'll be right there," said Mat to them.

He then returned and sat with me again.

"Everything okay?" I asked.

"Uh-huh," said Mat.

"So, what was that all about?" I asked.

"I just asked them to do something for me," said Mat.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Now _that_ I can't tell you," said Mat with a smile.

"Why not?" I asked.

"You'll see," said Mat, keeping whatever he had in mind all hush-hush. "Thanks for this, Sam."

I had another question for Mat, but I didn't get a chance to ask him. He kissed my lips a last time – which I returned – and then left me for downstairs. I scratched my head at what just got into Mat.

(Alex's P.O.V.)

When Mat came downstairs, he had told us what he had told me and Nick. HE wanted to cook dinner tonight for Sam.

"What, exactly?" asked Haruka.

"Well, first off, I am a rookie cook," said Mat. "So... this was on my mind for tonight."

He had a couple of boxes of spaghetti and sauce, and a pound of ground beef.

"Well that's a nice change of pace," Britney commented.

"Hel-lo – you're cooking dinner for Sam and not letting _us_ have any?!" Clover asked, thinking Mat wasn't going to include us.

"I wasn't done yet, Clover," said Mat after he checked to see if Sam was around. "I was going to say if you guys wanted some, you're welcome to have. You all can call this _my_ thanks for saving my ass today."

"Wow, thanks, Mat," I said. "But what did you want us to do?"

"Well," said Mat as he checked again to see if Sam was there – and wasn't. "I... want this to be a surprise to Sam, so... do you suppose you can keep her from suspecting anything until I'm finished?"

We were surprised to say the least.

"You _do_ know Sam's a real _brainiac,_ right, Mat?" Clover reminded Mat. "Don't blame us if Sam figures it out on her own..."

"I know, Clover, but come on, guys," said Mat almost sounding desperate. "When Sam finds out, it'll be totally worth it! Will you do this for me? Please?"

"Hey, if you're cooking, Mat," said Nick. "I'm pitching in to help you."

"Count me in," said Haruka. "This is super sweet of you, Mat."

"Totally," I said. "I get the surprise part. I think we can arrange something to keep Sammy from suspecting anything... right, guys?"

"That should be no problem!" Clover proclaimed. "I mean, hey, we've distracted Sammy before, right?"

"Yeah, but now we need to make sure it _sticks_ until we're ready," May responded.

"Thanks, you guys," said Mat, totally appreciative. "Give us about an hour. I'm not as bad as Jerry – I can get the clean-up afterward."

Naturally, the group had a lot of ideas for distracting Sam so Mat could make dinner, like Clover once again bragging about the French baguette guy. Dawn and Melissa even pitched in to tell stories about Nick's brother Kevin (with Nick's blessing, of course), as Sam had never known much about the real Kevin.

(Mat's P.O.V.)

I got the ground beef cooked first while Nick and Haruka pitched in to help.

"I gotta hand it to you, bro," said Nick to me. "You're never short of nice things to do. You've definitely given me quite a bit of ideas for when I decide to surprise Alex."

"Mm-hmm," said Haruka. "It's good to have the old you back, too, Mat."

"Thanks," I said to Haruka. "Besides possibly losing Sam, I really didn't wanna do a similar thing that Damon Bradshaw did after 1992 when he won nine races, but lost the Supercross title at the L.A. Coliseum to Jeff Stanton, who won only three races in '92."

"_Nine_ races?" asked Nick in surprise while he stirred the amount of spaghetti I put in.

"Yep," I said. "Bradshaw had a ten-point gap over Jeff Stanton, but Bradshaw was fighting a knee injury from what I heard, and he just had some kind of meltdown and lost a ton of spots. It was _so_ shocking to me when I learned about it. Shocking enough was finding out Stanton's teammate, Jean-Michel Bayle of France, the defending champ, also even tried to _help_ Bradshaw by riding behind him to push Bradshaw up to Stanton. The word there was that under the Team Honda tent, Stanton and Bayle downright _hated_ each other."

Haruka looked pretty surprised at what I'd told them as she and I made the sauce.

"In addition," I continued. "Yamaha and Bradshaw lost the 1992 Supercross title, yet Bradshaw never blamed his injury."

"Bummer," said Haruka.

"The worst part was what happened at the end of '93," I went on. "That loss ate Bradshaw up so much he _walked away_ from a six-figure contract with Yamaha and retired... at only 21 years old!"

"That's a _big_ oof," Haruka replied.

"So young?" Nick gasped. "That must have been hard on him."

"It was - especially after losing to the new rookie, Jeremy McGrath, who won 10 races en route to the 1993 250cc Supercross title. He came back 18 months later for Team Yamaha," I then said. "Then in '97, Bradshaw – on a Honda – won the High Point race in PA in sloppy conditions for the 4th time, which was his last career win."

"I was going to ask that," said Nick. "He _must've_ come back."

When we were nearing completion, Haruka then asked if she should go tell them we were ready.

"Yeah, do it," I said as I took a deep breath and had taken a taste test of my sauce after adding some authentic Italian spices. "And thanks for the help, guys."

Haruka grinned and even had a blindfold with her to keep Sam from further suspicion.

"Don't tell her, Haruka," I said, giving a last reminder.

"Nervous?" asked Nick.

"Yeah, but I have a feeling she's gonna love it," I said. "I can't wait to see the look on her face."

"You got some confidence there," Nick commented. "You sure you're a rookie cook?"

"I'm not lying there," I said.

I could hear numerous complaints from Sam as the others brought her downstairs; she was already blindfolded.

"W-Wait... Mat told all of you but he didn't tell **ME?!**" Sam complained. "That's not fair..."

"Sorry, Sammy, but Mat swore us to secrecy," said Clover to Sam.

"Totally," said Alex.

They sure did a helluva job keeping Sam from suspecting anything. Nick and I even high-fived and fist-bumped each other.

"Okay, Clover, let her see," I said since I saw Clover was behind Sam.

"My pleasure," said Clover as she undid Sam's blindfold.

"All I'm gonna say is 'I hope you like it,' Sam," I said as Clover let Sam see for herself.

Naturally, Sam couldn't believe her eyes when she saw what I had done for her.

"M-Mat... you did all this for me?" Sam gasped, on the verge of tears.

"It was kinda spur of the moment, but I decided that I wanna do something nice for you, Sam - and everyone else," I answered. "Consider it my thanks for coming to my rescue today."

Sam couldn't help herself, squealing happily as she dashed over to hug me tightly.

"Well, peeps and cronies, what the heck are we waiting for?" Nick proclaimed. "Let's dig in!"

We sat at the table while everyone helped themselves.

"By the way, Mat," said Sam while we ate. "I wanted to ask you earlier... was there ever a championship that went down to the wire like Saturday night that went in your favor?"

"Well I'm glad you asked," I said. "I was going to surprise you with one that's near and dear to me: 2001 125cc Motocross Championship – Mike Brown Vs. Grant Langston. It's the final round of the season at Delmont, PA – better known as Steel City specifically. Langston was leading by 6 going into the last moto of that season, and Brown had been playing catch-up from being down by 59 points with half the series to go – 6 races to go to be exact."

"No Chad Reed?" Sam asked.

"No, this was _BEFORE_ I'd heard of Chad Reed," I answered. "He came to the states the following year to ride in the 125cc East Supercross."

"This spaghetti's great, Mat," said Alex.

I looked at everyone else nearby and they were all in agreement – including Sam, who was grinning.

"Are you sure you're a 'rookie cook'?" Bridget asked.

"No lie," I said.

While everyone still ate, Sam and I felt full after three bowls for us both.

"Now for my last surprise for the night," I said.

Nozomi, Melissa, and Haruka were at the couch when Sam and I got there, and I got my tape ready with my race to show Sam why Steel City 2001 was what I had told her.

"You're welcome to watch if you guys want to," I said to the others.

"Thanks, Mat," said May. "That AND your spaghetti."

"Totally," said Nozomi.

"So... who were you pulling for to win that title?" Sam asked.

"I was pulling for Mike Brown #100," I said. "It also featured a famous cameo appearance by Ricky Carmichael on a Kawasaki KX125 – he'd been on a 250 all summer long and won the 2001 250cc Motocross Championship, as well as the 250cc Supercross Championship, _and_ won the last 13 races of the season to tie a record Jeremy McGrath – the sport's icon – had set in 1996 (13 straight wins)."

"Why was that?" asked Britney.

"Well, there were mixed opinions from people," I said as I started the tape. "But Ricky was going for history in winning a record 26 125cc career Motocross races – since he was tied with former racer Mark Barnett at 25 career wins that Barnett set from 1980-82."

Calling the race were Art Eckman and 1983 Supercross champ David Bailey, with pit reporter Davey Coombs of RacerX Magazine.

Art: Don't forget Ricky Carmichael could play a part in who wins the championship here today. He's also on that 125. Board's sideways... WE'RE OFF AND RUNNING FOR A CHAMPIONSHIP!

David: See Langston tried to cut over to the left; I think he was a little bit off-balance.

Carmichael started out in 2nd behind Steve Boniface on the 531 Honda. Brown was in about 6th and Langston was about two spots behind until...

Art: Brown goes down! Whoa, that changes the complexion!

David: That could be it right there. Already 6 points down... and Langston is up front. Brown, probably about mid-pack I'd guess right there. By the time he got going, he lost a lot of ground.

Art: Alright, can you imagine being _in front of Brown right now?_ Oh-ho-ho look out.

David: Well, you know, he can look at this as like, "Ok, he's got nothing to lose now."

Carmichael got around the early leader, Boniface and began to check out from the pack. With Langston running in 5th, the title chase seemed to be over right away. The word was that Brown had clipped the back of a sideways Nick Wey on the #23 Yamaha of Troy and had gone down, according to Brown's mechanic, Steve Henderson.

"Looks like it's a done deal now," said Nozomi as Bridget went for another serving.

"I think there's enough for one more, Mat," Bridget said from the kitchen. "You mind if I take it?"

"If you want to," I said.

"Thanks, man," said Nick. "That was _good_ stuff!" Everybody else was no different.

Langston managed to move up to 3rd around his KTM teammate David Pingree #46, and Yamaha of Troy's Nathan Ramsey #28. With Brown coming through the pack like a bullet, he'd quickly made his way up to 7th. We then heard Art Eckman speak on the 2001 125cc Motocross season.

Art: Well it's been a great season for Mike Brown even if he doesn't win the championship and come back on Grant Langston. The season looked like it was over for the Pro Circuit rider earlier in the year, after in that 2nd race – he hurt his shoulder at the Hangtown Classic, didn't score a point... but he has just put his head down and just... barreled back into championship contention.

Brown was then given a wave by for 6th place by #25 Ernesto Fonseca. A replay from ESPN2 confirmed it, and we heard David Bailey speak.

David: So that was a smart move, psychologically on Brown's part back at Troy by kinda making friends with all that...

"Maybe it isn't over yet," Clover commented.

"You know what they say – it's not over 'til the fat lady sings," said Dawn.

Brown later caught up to Langston, which shocked just about everyone in our beach house. Later on, Boniface goofed up in a section of tabletop jumps and Langston and Brown moved around him into 2nd and 3rd. With Carmichael long gone, strict team rules forbade Ricky from winning the overall if Brown were to not walk away as the champion. Shortly after that was a crash by Brown, but he got going quickly and we heard Art and David speak.

Art: Brown goes down but keeps the bike going. Boniface can't pass him... but Brown, back into 3rd place now.

David: That's gonna give a little gap to Langston now, but... I still believe Brown has the speed to catch Langston. He's caught him from way back in the pack. Langston has that wake-up call and we've seen before – he was able to do it at the last round at Binghamton [New York]: able to pick up his pace part-way into the moto, to respond to the pace of Brown.

It wasn't until the final 3 laps where something happened that shocked everyone. That was when we listened in on Art and David.

Art: Still, Mike Brown would need some help. That's the interesting question now.

David: Yeah, even if Brown is able to get around, and... Carmichael was to slow down for some reason and put himself between those guys, that would only be 5 points – I'm pretty sure – and still, Langston would have this title by a point. So he needs _a lot_ of help.

"I don't know..." said Alex.

Then came both Art and David again.

Art: ...there is a question of whether or not Mike Brown would leave Grant Langston upright.

David: Well Grant's looking around... uh, he's looking at the back wheel... kinda wobbly-looking. Looks like—

Art: Whoa! Brown makes a pass and Grant Langston did not make a mistake there, he just slowed down!

David: I thought he had mud on one side of the tire. It kinda looks funny but something doesn't look right there. He looked at the rear wheel.

Art: Is it a flat? Mike Brown moves into 2nd place... oh my goodness! And he's really picking up big time on Grant Langston! Something's wrong with Langston's bike! Davey, what do you think down in the mechanic's area?

Nozomi and Melissa groaned in shock at this unexpected turn of events just in time before Davey Coombs, the pit reporter, spoke.

Davey: Guys, you're not gonna believe this! Just when you thought it couldn't get any more closer, Grant Langston came to the mechanic's area... flat tire! The tire's still on the rim but he is losing time quickly! The way it stands right now, he's gotta get back to 5th for Brown to win this championship. [Branden] Jesseman's coming, let's see what Carmichael does now.

"Unbelievable!" Clover exclaimed.

We later heard both David and Art as Langston very noticeably began to slow down.

David: It doesn't look like the tire's flat, Art. That wheel is destroyed! Oh... you know what? He's not gonna be able to finish this moto – that thing's coming apart. You see him trying to just take it easy over those jumps – there goes Jesseman, so that puts him back to 4th!

Art: Oh this is gotta be a heartbreaking situation right now!

David: This is the _championship_, Art! That wheel's coming apart as those spokes break, eventually, he WILL have a flat tire. I wonder if he... he's not gonna do it – doesn't go for the double jump. He can feel something wrong; he's known it for half a lap now. I've broken wheels before... but as soon as you start to feel it, you only get a couple of laps.

Everyone in the house was totally stunned and speechless. It was over for Grant Langston.

"Oh, what a bummer!" Haruka exclaimed.

We then heart Art and David again.

Art: Mike Brown in 2nd place, David not only puts him in line for the championship, but it would take the record away from Ricky Carmichael because he'd get the overall.

David: Yeah a 1st in the 1st moto, a 2nd here... 2-1 beats a 3-1. So Carmichael has done all he can do to win the moto and it's not going to be enough for the overall.

Brown began making fist pumps over some of the big jumps upon knowing the 2001 125cc Motocross title would be his. Sam gave me a pat on the back. I looked and she gave me a smile. Then came the broadcast trio again.

David: ... Gotta feel for Langston – who woulda thought?!

Art: This would mean a Kawasaki 250/125 sweep this year! There's Langston's bike... idle. Let's go back to Davey.

The next picture told a VERY familiar story to the spies, especially me. Grant Langston had his head hung and his girlfriend comforting him. There was also a group of about five people cheering Langston up as Davey spoke.

Davey: Right there you see Langston's girlfriend... beside him, his manager Bob Moore. This is a picture, guys, that looks so familiar – it's what we saw in the Houston Supercross when Grant fell down on the last lap. This time the pain... the bad luck is so much worse – this time it cost him _a National Championship!_

Art: He's probably not thinking about right now, but _he_ did everything _he_ could do, David.

David: He did...

"I hope that picture looked familiar to you, Sam," I said. "On last night?"

Sam nodded at that.

"No kidding," Sam admitted.

"It didn't take three guesses to figure that out after what Sam told us this morning," said Bridget.

It wasn't until the final lap when we saw Brown wave Branden Jesseman by to give him 2nd place, and the overall to Ricky Carmichael. The others were all surprised, but Dawn remembered what was said earlier about Carmichael going for 125cc Motocross win number 26. Sam saw the smile on my face when I got a look at her. At the checkers was when the celebrations began, and we heard Art Eckman once again.

Art: There's the checkers... for Ricky Carmichael! His 26th 125 victory... the all-time record. Meanwhile still out on the track, Mike Brown, seeking his 4th win of the season. Kawasaki's 6th 125 Motocross title – 4 of those for Pro Circuit! #100 Mike Brown... comes through for Mitch Payton and his crew. We've seen some great finishes here at Delmont, PA, but this championship run, you didn't know what to expect – it kept _everyone_ guessing until the final laps!

When the broadcast went to commercial, it seemed like everyone was content with things, but I stopped them and told them the best part was yet to come.

Art: Winning a championship takes everything and everyone working together. A broken wheel leads to a broken heart... while the guy from "NASCAR Country" donuts in the Chevy Trucks logo. Mike Brown, champion... 2001.

We watched Mike Brown's interview at all the joyous feelings from all the people there, but the end part left some of us (me included) emotional.

Davey: I know this has gotta be the best feeling in the world. You're 28 years old, you've been working for this your whole life... how's it feel, man?

Mike Brown: Awesome, I just wanna thank my mom and dad for coming here to see me...

It was then and there Mike broke into tears, which hit some of us a bit.

"It gets me, too, sometimes," I said to the group.

I felt Sam's arms around me. I could see a little emotion on her face, too. The rest of the spies were all taken by surprise at what happened next: Grant Langston had come to congratulate Mike Brown on winning the championship. Davey Coombs then wrapped up Brown's interview.

Davey: Guys, there it is. Down here in the winner's circle, Grant Langston came over... to give Mike Brown a heads-up on a job well done. What an _unbelievable_ turn of events!

"That right there... made Langston a winner in my book," I told the others.

"Always gotta keep fighting against the odds," Nick quipped.

"And never give up!" Nozomi proclaimed.

We all listened through Ricky Carmichael's winner interview about cherishing the 2001 year overall. He'd won the 2001 250cc Supercross title, the 250cc Motocross title, and broke Mark Barnett's record. The final points standings showed Brown as the champion by 14 points over Grant Langston. We then heard Art Eckman one last time.

Art: A fantastic season that was ending in tears for both contenders. Mike Brown, the champion, Grant Langston, the highest finish ever for a rider from outside the United States in the American 125 National Motocross series. One of the most competitive 125 seasons of all time!

I stopped the tape right there.

"Wow, that was special," Alex commented.

"Mm-hmm," Nick commented.

We all stood up, and I knew I had the clean-up to immediately get to, but Sam stopped me.

"Now that your race is over," She said to me. "It's _my_ turn to surprise _you_, Mat."

"With what?" I asked.

"That I can't tell you," said Sam, doing a role reversal on me.

I had a feeling she'd say that. I looked back at the others and some of them were grinning at me.

"Lucky you, Mat," said Bridget.

"Have fun, you lovebirds," Haruka giggled.

"Haruka..." Nozomi nudged Haruka again.

"No, no, no," I said to Nozomi. "Leave it alone... I don't really mind it – it's no secret anyway."

Haruka smiled at that as I turned back to Sam.

"Well, that should give me some time to clean up what I used," I said.

"Yep," said Sam. "I'll be right back." She went upstairs.

Nick and Alex even pitched in to help me.

"Glad that you're back to normal, Mat," Alex said to me.

"Oh, thanks, Alex," I said as I got the first pot. "I just wish last night went how I wanted it though."

"Dawn hit it on the head – racing's a part of you," Nick said. "I can definitely see why it is."

"Yeah, I'm glad she does," I said as Clover came in to pitch in to help.

"Totally," She said. "So... if you are up to it, was it really Chad Reed losing the title that got you so sad?"

"Well," I started. "It's a big part of it, but another part is that Carmichael has never lost a championship he's led in 5 Supercross titles from '01-'06 – save for 2004 when Chad Reed won the title and Ricky was knocked out with a knee injury. He's heading into a part-time season next year, and full-on retirement for 2008."

"Already?" Alex asked. "How old is he?"

"26," I answered.

(Author's Note from **Mat49324**: This is a true fact at the time in the year 2006.)

"Wow, that's still pretty young," Nick commented.

"I know," I said. "I'm still scratching my head to... why—"

My sentence stopped when I noticed Nick had a look on his face that puzzled me. When I looked at Alex's face, it didn't take me too long to figure it out.

"My love's behind me, isn't she?" I asked, almost scared inside to look behind me.

"She's behind you, alright," I heard Sam say. Alex, Clover, and Nick were giggling. "Are you gonna turn around?"

"Should I be terrified or not?" I asked, which made some of the other spies laugh at my question.

"Depends," Sam giggled. I finally glanced behind me, only to see Sam dressed in a green two-piece swimsuit, which made me gasp and fumble for my next statement.

"B-But, I still gotta finish cleaning and..." I tried to say, but Alex and Nick stopped me.

"Oh, I'm not hearing _any_ of this, bro," said Nick.

"Totally," said Alex. "Sammy's _waiting for you..._"

"It's a crime to make her wait, Mat," Clover said as I felt her hands nudging me to Sam, who was already heading outside to the jacuzzi.

"No worries, Mat," said Britney.

"Yeah, we got this after what you've gone through," said Nozomi.

"Really?" I asked. "Wow, thanks, guys."

I could hear Sam lovingly call my name, which gave me a bit of a hot flash.

"Coming..." I said, taken aback.

"Go get her, Mat," said Alex and Clover together.

(Written by **The Blue Time Ranger**)

**("Evening Dreamscape pt1... For Sunset Star Act 1" by Falk Au Yeong plays)**

"Ah, that feels _so much better_," Sam sighed as she and Mat sunk into the jacuzzi. "We should have done this a _long_ time ago."

When no response came from Mat, Sam glanced at him. "Is... everything okay, Mat?"

"I... I guess I just wasn't expecting this," Mat admitted, even as he scooted closer to his girlfriend. "But I'm _definitely_ not complaining."

As Sam opted to put her arm around Mat, the two lovers were completely oblivious to Haruka staring at them from the doorway, debating on something.

"Um, Haruka? What exactly are you doing?" Bridget asked.

"And _why_, pray tell, are you holding your _phone_?" Nick quipped.

"I gotta get a picture of those two," Haruka giggled. "They're so adorbs together and... EEP!"

That last "EEP" was brought on by Nick grabbing her ear and starting to pull her back. "Need I remind you of what happened when you tried to do that with me and Alex?" Nick reprimanded. "And that _painful_ headbutt?"

"Well, she was sleeping when it happened, so it's not like she _meant_ to do it," Haruka replied. "Besides, this isn't just for posterity's sake."

"Then what?" May asked.

"A present for the future," Haruka quipped. "Just in case either of them gets down in the dumps over something, we can use this picture to remind them of what they've got."

"Even if we're going to fight like heck, tooth and nail, to make sure it _doesn't_ happen to them again?" Alex responded, having just joined the group.

"Precisely," Haruka replied. "It never hurts to have a backup plan."

"Hey, Sam?" Mat asked.

"Yeah?" Sam replied.

"I... I wanted to make a promise to you," Mat proclaimed, summoning up all of his courage. "I swear to you, that no matter what kind of loonies and crazies might try to separate us or destroy our relationship, I'll always be with you. I don't want this to end, Sammy. I really, _honestly_ think you're the one for me."

Sam couldn't help but let a few tears fall at how sweet Mat was being at the moment.

"I was thinking the same thing, you know," Sam replied, leaning over to kiss Mat passionately, not noticing the tiny flash from Haruka's phone camera. "I've spent so long looking for Mr. Right, as Clover so eloquently puts it... and I think I've finally found him."

As the two leaned in for another kiss, another flash came from Haruka's phone, and this time it caught Sam's attention, turning her gaze towards said door.

"Busted," Haruka whispered.

"I warned you," Nick teased, smugly walking away. Bridget had already snuck away while she could.

To Haruka's surprise, however, Sam merely turned back to Mat, now sporting a goofy grin. "Eh, I'll spare her this time," Sam admitted. "I'm in too much of a good mood to yell at Haruka for her photo-op."

"Probably just wanted to get a shot of the moment," Mat answered. "I wouldn't put it past her, honestly."

"Oh, Sam, I've got one more question," Mat asked. "Even though I'm not going through heartbreak tonight, could I... can I sleep in your room tonight?"

Sam smiled again, a smile that set Mat's heart a-flutter. "I'd be honored, Mat."

"And I think that should be our cue to leave," Alex quipped. "I think we've intruded on their moment already."

"I guess I can count myself lucky, too, that I've got such an awesome girlfriend," Nick quipped. "Alex, I know I say it far too often, but... I love you, ya know."

"Awww, I love you, too, Nick," Alex giggled, leaning over to kiss Nick. "And don't worry about saying it too much. I know exactly why you do it. But let's not think about _that_ too much right now, 'kay?"

"Say, Alex, did you wanna come up to my room for a bit?" Nick asked. "I don't know if I told you, but I just reacquired a game I used to play a _lot_ in my childhood, and I wanted to see if you'd be interested in 1. V. 1'ing me?"

"Oh, you _know_ I take video game challenges seriously," Alex laughed. "I say _bring it on_!"

Nick and Alex stormed upstairs to begin their antics.

(From **Mat49324**)

Back outside, Sam and Mat were still enjoying the warmth of the jacuzzi, and each other. In addition, both were enjoying looking at the night sky for a while.

"Thanks again for dinner tonight, Mat," Sam then said, breaking the silence. "Though I am having a hard time believing that you're a rookie cook."

"Well, I have a sweet tooth for spaghetti after all," said Mat. "I knew when I taste-tested the sauce that you'd love it. I know your favorite is creamed calamari, but seafood just isn't my cup of tea so to speak... and spaghetti's one food I have making down to a science."

Sam looked a little surprised.

"That doesn't mean I won't surprise you one day with creamed calamari," Mat finished up.

Sam gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"I gotta say, though," said Mat, changing the subject. "True love was one of the _LAST_ things on my mind that I didn't think WOOHP would give."

Sam felt her hand being grabbed in the water, and she returned the favor.

"Makes two of us," Sam admitted.

"I think it's safe to say that I kinda feel in a somewhat-similar boat to Chad Reed and his wife that I'm out here in Cali," said Mat.

"Why's that?" asked Sam.

"Well, what I heard, Chad Reed and his wife, Ellie left Australia together to chase Chad's dream of racing around the world – two kids practically – and people kept telling Chad not to, and he did it anyway; my parents went back home to Hawaii and I just didn't want to leave you guys. That's why I told them I didn't want to go back – as crazy as that sounds – and they were telling me 'no way', but I put up a fight that they couldn't win, I guess. I might go back one day, but _certainly_ not now... unless my Dad decides to journey out here for the Anaheim Supercross races."

Sam chuckled at Mat's family resemblance.

"He _knows_ I'm a Chad Reed fan," Mat continued on. "He keeps knocking me about it... and I'm REALLY not looking forward to when he calls me up about... Vegas."

Sam knew full well why.

"Mat, let's just forget about that," said Sam as she gently tugged his shoulder.

They both dropped the matter, especially Mat, who also wanted to worry about the current moment. Both of them shared deep kisses, which made the jacuzzi feel more steamy than it needed to be. After a full five minutes, both treaded out, but Mat felt an urge for the pool to cool down for just a few minutes. Sam eventually agreed, and both jumped in the pool while they held hands.

"Mat, tell me one thing," said Sam while they were swimming. "What exactly did you say to Natalie Valentine that she deemed an insult?" She asked.

"I was wondering when someone would ask me that," said Mat. "I told her she should take love advice from Liz Taylor."

Sam chuckled at that. The others would certainly get a big laugh out of _that_.

"If you feel like that's something I'd say to Mandy, you'd be right," Mat quipped.

Sam's chuckle turned into a hearty giggle as they both continued their brief swim. After that, both got out, even with Mat being a gentleman and holding a hand out to escort Sam out of the pool. As the couple came indoors, towels on, and holding hands, Mat checked out the kitchen and saw everyone had washed everything. Mat smiled over the generosity of the others since everything was clean as whistles.

Mat even let Sam shower first; while he waited, he got a few words in to Alex and Clover and the others to thank them for their role in surprising Sam with dinner. A while later, Mat got his shower in and was enjoying at least ten last minutes alone with Sam.

"Thanks again, Sam," said Mat. "It's been a long weekend, but you guys shortened the healing process for me considerably."

"That's what we're here for, Mat," Sam reminded him. "I hope you don't go through something like _that_ again."

"God, I hope not," said Mat in agreement and rolling his eyes.

"I may not be much of a sports girl, but regardless..." said Sam, grabbing Mat's hand. "You have my support."

Mat smiled at her statement. They were about to kiss until Sam remembered one last thing.

"Oh, and Mat," She said. "If you ever wanna sleep in here again... just tell me – even if you aren't in a sad mood."

"Wow, thanks, Sam," said Mat, slightly surprised at Sam's generosity.

They both sealed their words with a final hug and deep kiss... knowing full well that their relationship would last a lifetime.

_~Totally Spies!: Affairs of the Heart~_

_~The End~_

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**Final Note from Mat49324**: We TOLD you this wouldn't take 9 years like last time to finish. I'm definitely looking forward to our next project, _Shattered Memories_. Be sure to look on **The Blue Time Ranger**'s page. And unlike last time, I WILL NOT be leaving Totally Spies like in 2007 now that it's back on YouTube. So, to our readers, we do hope you enjoyed this. I should also say that as far as the 2006 Las Vegas Supercross finale is concerned, an interesting fact is... I actually had to MISS watching it on TV because it tied in with my high school senior prom, but the outcome was certainly NOT what I wanted it to be. I'll hand it off to **The Blue Time Ranger** now if he's got a few things to say himself, besides the preview for our next project, _Shattered Memories_.

**Final Note from The Blue Time Ranger:** And another one is in the books! That was pretty fun, to be honest. It felt good to send the gang on a mostly normal caper after all the insanity that happened in Disillusioned Memories. Well, until next time, all y'all, I'll leave you with a preview of our next TS adventure, _Shattered Memories_, in which May has to face her own past when a rash of parent kidnappings begin to happen. Enjoy the preview, and see you next mission!

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"Wait, you guys still remember?" May asked.

"Of course!" Mira laughed. "Like we'd _ever_ forget our old group!"

May couldn't help but smile. "Jellyfish Pirates for life."

"Wait, wait, Jellyfish _Pirates_?" Clover wondered. "You guys weren't..."

"Nah, it was just a silly little nickname that April came up with when we made more friends," May explained. "I was a little _too_ into some of those old pirate movies, so we just made ourselves a pirate group of sorts."

"But we were _good_ pirates!" April giggled. "We stood up to bullies, helped people out when they needed it, and even got some couples to hook up!"

"Oh, that was one of the highlights of my time as a Jellyfish Pirate," Souji laughed, brushing some dust off of his shirt. "So, May, you're... what, a _spy_ now?"

"Kinda," May admitted. "I guess nothing gets past you, huh, Souji?"

"I always was the smartest one," Souji proclaimed.

"Hey!" April growled.

"So, like, what _happened_ to the Jellyfish Pirates, then?" Alex asked. "May said the fellowship just... kinda _ended_ after a while."

May sighed, knowing that this was the part she hoped not to relive. But her friends were understanding.

"Well, most of us just grew up, but always promised to keep the Jellyfish Pirates alive in their hearts," May explained.

Ooh, boy. Now came the hard part.

"But... as for one of us, and the reason we just disbanded, is..."

_To be continued in Totally Spies: Shattered Memories..._


End file.
